So I did get the job I was going for, which is fantastic. It's at Famous Footwear at Garden City, where they sell imitations of current high-fashion (ish?) shoes for really, really, really cheap (:D). I had my first shift there and really enjoyed it. Working with shoes is relatively easy compared to other jobs I've had (e.g. 40 degree heat + a lineup too long to see the end of + ice machine breaking down = hell at Boost), the staff are all around my age, and the customer base is also a young one, so, for once, I'm preparing for a long stay.
This morning, Jess and I met up for breakfast, before which she had the pleasure of meeting Murray, our new kitten. Murray is very small, and a steel-grey, and tends to blend in pretty easily with our dark carpet, so the fact that she found him to pick him up at all was a miracle in itself. Being so small, and having a penchant for climbing/entangling himself, Murray proceeded to get stuck in Jess's waist-length hair. Rosie, our very overweight Chihuahua, contributed to the action by barking at the top of her lungs. All before 8.30 on a Saturday morning...
After our breakfast, we braved the ridiculous crowds in Garden City. Easter Saturday was coming ridiculously close to Christmas Eve in the people-to-square-metre ratio, and so I decided to leave my egg shopping until later, rather than surging forward amid the masses at the Darrell Lea stand in the centre court struggling over the last twelve peanut-rolled eggs. Instead, we wandered around while I dithered about buying a foundation. I have switched between Rimmel, Covergirl, Maybelline (urgh), Revlon and Loreal since I was about 14, and have never really found one I liked enough to buy twice, so foundation shopping for me generally means that by the end of it, my arm is covered in a variety of flesh coloured swatches. I decided to buy several foundations, and put each of them back for reasons ranging from "it's too orange" to "it smells funny" to "I'm not wearing it if the model on their ad looks like a pig standing upright" (possibly a little politically incorrect...). In the end, I got drawn in by the overly glamorous Clinique representative at the Chemist, who grabbed my face by the chin and painted it "Ivory Sand Nude" (or similar), and encouraged me to spend over $60 so that I was eligible for the free gift Clinique was generously offering to its customers. Well. That did it. So I ended up spending a ridiculous amount on Clinique products in order to qualify for seven mini-versions of Clinique products, and felt quite proud of myself for supposedly getting such a good deal. Meanwhile, Jess flitted around the shop gathering brochures, as is her way (being a graphic designer). I continued the mega-spending spree by buying my first pair of boots with my awesome staff discount at Famous Footwear, and a pair of slippers for Szilveszter for Easter (we figured we'd get enough chocolate as it is). Then he got me my fuzzy black chenille slippers, which I have labelled "the fuzzilies", which delighted me to no end. I said goodbye to Jess, and went to meet up with Megan, my arms full of increasingly heavy shopping bags. We went in search of Easter eggs - only to find that the Darrell Lea pavillion had closed down as it had all been sold. There was an eerie calm settled over this part of the shopping centre. With a slight sinking feeling, Megan and I went down to Kmart in the hopes of taking advantage of their 50% off eggs sale, and were horrified to find that everybody - as in, EVERYBODY, screaming children trying to clamber out of their prams and all - was there. We had found the missing crowds, and were faced with shelves and shelves of empty boxes which had once house the Easter eggs. So, sadly, I resorted to buying up chocolate chip hot cross buns for tomorrow instead. Not a bad compromise, I hope? Wishing everyone a happy and fruitful (or chocolate-ful?) Easter and a relaxing/productive holiday (whichever you're aiming for :p).
xx claire
Friday, April 10, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
New Job? Maybe?
As much as I planned to just use this for my book reviews, I do love blogging. So here I am at 6.43am online. At 9.00 today I have a trial shift at shoe store in Garden City. The position I'm trying for is a supervisory one, and to start off with, it'll be about 25-30 hours, with the possibility of increasing to full time after a while. I'm at uni at the moment, so full time work could be hard, but I think I could manage. I've worked the entire way through my senior year of schooling and first year of uni, and I've actually found the hardest thing about going back to lesser hours is the cutback to my pay. I spend and spend and save, and then spend what I've saved... So I'm hoping that working a bit more will help me put together some savings for some travelling. I really want to see New Zealand. And anywhere with snow!
So I'm really hoping I'm successful, because this could be an awesome opportunity. I'm a bit nervous about it, actually. Also, want to go to Jason Mraz! Is it too late? Hm.
I'll update again later on trial shift.
xx Claire
So I'm really hoping I'm successful, because this could be an awesome opportunity. I'm a bit nervous about it, actually. Also, want to go to Jason Mraz! Is it too late? Hm.
I'll update again later on trial shift.
xx Claire
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Handle With Care
Handle With Care
Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult’s novels have acquired a stigma for being slightly formulaic, and while I agree with this, having read about twelve of her books, I believe this heart-wrenching story deserves recognition for its ability to render a point in time from the inside out. Picoult’s novels generally follow a similar structure. She generates a multi-layered situation, often centring on a child or young person, and incorporates multiple perspectives to unravel the truth behind what is usually a controversial incident. Typically, all is not what it seems, and a deeply buried secret surfaces at the novel’s close, upends the reader’s understanding of the plot thus far and presents it all in a new light. Handle With Care is no exception to this structure, but I feel the Picoult has outdone herself with this tale of a young girl with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. Willow O’Keefe is an exceptionally bright young girl whose disability has impaired not only her mobility and growth, but her family’s financial security. The necessary expenses of a disabled child become an overwhelming burden for the family, and within the foreseeable future, there may not be enough money for the family to survive. Charlotte, Willow’s mother, is presented with an opportunity to sue her obstetrician for wrongful birth, meaning that had she been alerted to Willow’s condition at the right time during her pre-natal care, she would have considered termination. In true Picoult style, Charlotte’s obstetrician is no stranger, she’s her best friend. Handle With Care differs from some of Picoult’s previous works in that it presents the truly ugly side of a mother, father, and a teenage child. Charlotte is arguably an unlikeable character, in that she seems to forgo the needs of her best friend, husband and eldest daughter in order to satisfy Willow’s. Predictably, perhaps, this raises the question of whether the needs of a disabled person should be prioritised over other family members, particularly when one of those people is facing a crisis of their own. The conclusion you may draw from this may surprise you. Picoult remains subtly anti-abortion throughout the novel, particularly through the depiction of Willow, whose obsession with trivia is a charming character trait. As a character, Willow presents the argument that, had she been terminated in the womb, she would not have grown into the person she has become.
Jodi Picoult has earned the reputation of a very successful author with good reason. She has generated a niche for emotionally tangled dramas in the literary world, and I do not hesitate to recommend her books (with the exception of Change of Heart – ugh!). Handle With Care also has a plot twist which, as a devotee of Picoult, I should perhaps have seen coming – shocked and devastated me. I encourage you to try Handle With Care, as it’s a prime example of Picoult’s authorship – a wonderfully complex book written in a simple style which grasps a difficult concept by the horns and explores it from the inside out.
Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult’s novels have acquired a stigma for being slightly formulaic, and while I agree with this, having read about twelve of her books, I believe this heart-wrenching story deserves recognition for its ability to render a point in time from the inside out. Picoult’s novels generally follow a similar structure. She generates a multi-layered situation, often centring on a child or young person, and incorporates multiple perspectives to unravel the truth behind what is usually a controversial incident. Typically, all is not what it seems, and a deeply buried secret surfaces at the novel’s close, upends the reader’s understanding of the plot thus far and presents it all in a new light. Handle With Care is no exception to this structure, but I feel the Picoult has outdone herself with this tale of a young girl with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. Willow O’Keefe is an exceptionally bright young girl whose disability has impaired not only her mobility and growth, but her family’s financial security. The necessary expenses of a disabled child become an overwhelming burden for the family, and within the foreseeable future, there may not be enough money for the family to survive. Charlotte, Willow’s mother, is presented with an opportunity to sue her obstetrician for wrongful birth, meaning that had she been alerted to Willow’s condition at the right time during her pre-natal care, she would have considered termination. In true Picoult style, Charlotte’s obstetrician is no stranger, she’s her best friend. Handle With Care differs from some of Picoult’s previous works in that it presents the truly ugly side of a mother, father, and a teenage child. Charlotte is arguably an unlikeable character, in that she seems to forgo the needs of her best friend, husband and eldest daughter in order to satisfy Willow’s. Predictably, perhaps, this raises the question of whether the needs of a disabled person should be prioritised over other family members, particularly when one of those people is facing a crisis of their own. The conclusion you may draw from this may surprise you. Picoult remains subtly anti-abortion throughout the novel, particularly through the depiction of Willow, whose obsession with trivia is a charming character trait. As a character, Willow presents the argument that, had she been terminated in the womb, she would not have grown into the person she has become.
Jodi Picoult has earned the reputation of a very successful author with good reason. She has generated a niche for emotionally tangled dramas in the literary world, and I do not hesitate to recommend her books (with the exception of Change of Heart – ugh!). Handle With Care also has a plot twist which, as a devotee of Picoult, I should perhaps have seen coming – shocked and devastated me. I encourage you to try Handle With Care, as it’s a prime example of Picoult’s authorship – a wonderfully complex book written in a simple style which grasps a difficult concept by the horns and explores it from the inside out.
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
This book is a phenomenon in and unto itself. I was torn between reading it all in one sitting or drawing it out as long as I possibly could in order to savour the intelligent, crackling writing style, the cleverly constructed characters and the deeply disturbing plotline, the effects of which refuse to leave me long after I have turned the final page. The America of the future (called Panem) Collins depicts is a broken country, split into districts, originally numbering thirteen, which fall under the tyrannical rule of the Capitol. The districts, each of which carries out a specific function aimed at benefiting the Capitol, are increasingly poorer the further down the numerical line they sit. Following the uprising of the now non-existent District Thirteen, the Capitol has introduced a means of keeping the remaining districts under wraps by staging a hideous reality show entitled the Hunger Games, designed to remind the districts of the Capitol’s total control of the country. Each district is forced to draw the names of two children between the ages of twelve and eighteen, labelled “tributes”, to enter into the competition, whereby they must act on the simplest of rules – kill or be killed. Katniss Everdeen comes from District Twelve, where coal is mined, and is the sole provider for her small family unit. When her younger sister Prim’s name is called for entry into the Hunger Games, she immediately steps forward and volunteers to take her place, alongside demure male entrant Peeta Mellark. Katniss and Peeta are showered in luxury before entering the training program necessary for all the entrants, where they are faced with competitors of terrifying strength and ability. The staff allocated to monitor District 12’s tributes order Katniss and Peeta to appear as though they are close friends so as to intimidate their competition, but the reality is that soon the pair will be pitted against one another in a bloody fight to the death.
The Hunger Games serves up a horrifying vision of a future where nothing is stable. Collins delves deeply into issues of childhood and love, probing the question of whether one life is worth more than another in an eerie and disturbing novel. Katniss is an endearing narrator, whose strength of character and morality are a shining light set against the dark and grisly subject matter. This book will keep you enthralled all the way through. As it is a part of a trilogy, I found myself fervently trying to figure out what the following two books would be about. My guesses were nowhere near close, as Collins delivers a plot twist to keep you hanging for next book, Catching Fire, released in America in September. It can’t come soon enough!
Suzanne Collins
This book is a phenomenon in and unto itself. I was torn between reading it all in one sitting or drawing it out as long as I possibly could in order to savour the intelligent, crackling writing style, the cleverly constructed characters and the deeply disturbing plotline, the effects of which refuse to leave me long after I have turned the final page. The America of the future (called Panem) Collins depicts is a broken country, split into districts, originally numbering thirteen, which fall under the tyrannical rule of the Capitol. The districts, each of which carries out a specific function aimed at benefiting the Capitol, are increasingly poorer the further down the numerical line they sit. Following the uprising of the now non-existent District Thirteen, the Capitol has introduced a means of keeping the remaining districts under wraps by staging a hideous reality show entitled the Hunger Games, designed to remind the districts of the Capitol’s total control of the country. Each district is forced to draw the names of two children between the ages of twelve and eighteen, labelled “tributes”, to enter into the competition, whereby they must act on the simplest of rules – kill or be killed. Katniss Everdeen comes from District Twelve, where coal is mined, and is the sole provider for her small family unit. When her younger sister Prim’s name is called for entry into the Hunger Games, she immediately steps forward and volunteers to take her place, alongside demure male entrant Peeta Mellark. Katniss and Peeta are showered in luxury before entering the training program necessary for all the entrants, where they are faced with competitors of terrifying strength and ability. The staff allocated to monitor District 12’s tributes order Katniss and Peeta to appear as though they are close friends so as to intimidate their competition, but the reality is that soon the pair will be pitted against one another in a bloody fight to the death.
The Hunger Games serves up a horrifying vision of a future where nothing is stable. Collins delves deeply into issues of childhood and love, probing the question of whether one life is worth more than another in an eerie and disturbing novel. Katniss is an endearing narrator, whose strength of character and morality are a shining light set against the dark and grisly subject matter. This book will keep you enthralled all the way through. As it is a part of a trilogy, I found myself fervently trying to figure out what the following two books would be about. My guesses were nowhere near close, as Collins delivers a plot twist to keep you hanging for next book, Catching Fire, released in America in September. It can’t come soon enough!
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