Sunday 2 June 2019

May Wrap-Up



Hello June and goodbye May! May was a good busy month with lots of enjoyable activities. I'm relying on my calendar to keep track of what's coming or going.

For readers who are new to my blog, this is my 5th monthly wrap-up in 2019. My previous wrap-ups in 2019 are here: January, February, March, and April. I plan to write a wrap-up for each month so I can look back and see how well the year has turned out.

MAY 2019

ARTS

For visual arts, I chose to see the Sputnik photo exhibit and two architectural tours that examine the architecture and history of the big banks in the Financial District, and Osgoode Hall, home of the Law Society of Upper Canada. All three events were very interesting and well organized. I may write up a separate post on the last two architectural tours at a later time.

BLOGGING - Quite a few blogging-related events in May.
  • I was pleased to finish five posts, especially the three posts about my Croatia adventures along the delightful Dalmatian Coast, the stunning Plitvice Lakes and Istria Peninsula, and Zagreb highlights. It took me a while to decide on which photos to include in the blog posts to hopefully give a sense of the places without overwhelming the readers with photos.
  • I had my first blogger meeting with Ann from The Unretired.life blog. Ann was in Toronto for a few days and would like to meet a local blogger. We enjoyed a Thai buffet lunch at Bangkok Garden while talking about blogging, travels, adventures at home and abroad, etc. It was quite fun.
  • I played with a free blog template in WordPress to eventually move my blog from Blogger to WordPress. I'm thinking to have a couple more posts on Blogger to wrap up June, and starting from July, I'll be writing my regular posts on WordPress. I'll announce again closer to the date and will keep my Blogger blog open for a while.
  • A friendly reminder that the next Wellness Wednesday link-up is on June 12. Optional prompt is Mid-Year Review. Please feel free to join in on the fun. I'll be travelling at that time so I plan to schedule my post in advance.

BOOKS

I read seven very good books written by authors from Australia, Canada, England, Japan, and the USA:
  • Boy Swallows Universe, by Trent Dalton, 452 pages.
  • What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, by Nathan Englander, 207 pages.
  • Ru, by Kim Thúy, translated from French by Sheila Fischman, 143 pages.
  • Book Love, a graphic book by Debbie Tung, 140 pages.
  • When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi, 228 pages. 
  • The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro, 299 pages. 
  • Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami, translated from Japanese by Jay Rubin, 296 pages. 

Books read in May 2019

CONCERTS

I attended four classical concerts with a friend. The musicians are all winners at various musical competitions both in Canada and abroad. Each concert ended with standing ovation from the audience.
  • Kimberley Jeong, cello and Tristan Savella, piano
  • Brian Hsu, piano
  • Vlad Solovie, piano
  • Dr. Su Jeon Higuera and Jessie J. Lee (piano duo)
From June to September, I plan to attend outdoor concerts to take advantage of the nice weather and warmer temperatures.

FAMILY

We took time out for a nice family getaway on the Victoria Day long weekend. Around mid-May, we celebrated when one nephew bought his first home, and one niece graduated with a Bachelor's degree. We have a few birthdays coming up and relatives visiting us this summer so I'm looking forward to our big family gatherings.

FRIENDS

I met up with my friends seven times for coffee or tea. On one occasion, we tried a new Japanese restaurant named Sushi Inn. The food and service were good so we'll be back.

Sushi lunch

HEALTH

I was at home most of May and was able to complete daily meditation, twenty-nine outdoor walks, thirteen strength workouts in the gym, nine yoga classes, and five swimming sessions.

Walking outdoors in the spring is a joy as I can see flowers everywhere. I hope to add a few bike rides in the next four months while the nice weather is here.

Pretty spring flowers

LEARNING

I continued with my online French and Spanish lessons every day in May. I also started learning more about WordPress (see Blogging above) and about my upcoming travel destinations (see Travel below).

MOVIES

I watched four movies with my neighbours. Coincidentally, Nicole Kidman starred in two of them. We agreed that Aquaman had great visual effects and Matthew McConaughey's character in Serenity was weird! The comedies were just OK.
  • Second Act, starring Jennifer Lopez and Vanessa Nudgens.
  • Serenity, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.
  • Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, and Willem Dafoe.
  • The Upside, starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, and Nicole Kidman.

Movies watched in May 2019

TRAVEL

May felt like t'is the season for trip planning. Where to? I'm going to Malta and Germany in June. I've also booked flights or train tickets, and accommodations for trips to three different Canadian cities (Regina in July, Kingston in August, and Victoria in September). New adventures await!
Overall, May was a splendid month for me. I felt I got a lot done. I look forward to enjoying new adventures in June. It will be quiet on this blog for the next three weeks until I return at the end of June.

By the way, if you'd like to take a quick preview at my blog on WordPress, it's here. Same blog name, slightly different URL. If you see something that doesn't work right, please let me know. I'd love to have you follow my blog on WordPress so I have real data to work with while I'm getting used to WordPress.

How was May for you? What good things happened? I look forward to hearing your comments.

44 comments:

  1. I ducked over and had a look at your new site - looking good! I'll be doing my May wrap-up for tomorrow. Spoiler alert - I was home for just a few days of it...man, I'm exhausted. Your adventures sound fabulous but I'm looking forward to 4 weeks at home lol.

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    1. Thank you, Jo, for commenting here and on my WP blog. Your month of May sounds very busy. Have a restful June!

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  2. You did some big hitters with the books! I love that you threw in a Graphic novel - off to check it out. And Malta is SO fabulous. It's beautiful and they are a country that proves you can be deeply religious (catholic) and not pour hate on the LBGTQI community - infact they are decades ahead of us in that sense. True Christians on a beautiful island with stunning history. If you can go to the Hospital tour (we got a combined ticket on the film and hospital - I didn't think the film was as great as our maltese friends thought but the hospital was one of the best things we did.

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    1. Thanks, Lydia, for the Hospital tour suggestion. I'll see if I can book it while I'm in Malta.

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    2. Thanks, Lydia. Have a great day!

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    3. and again...we're following each other this week ;) #Lovinglifelinky

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    4. and I got to see very nice night shots of VIVID. Thanks, Lydia.

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  3. Just popped over and am now following you there too Natalie. I love my Wordpress blog world. I'm so happy that your ay was splendid, it's so good to hear of your activities and my monthly catch up is coming out tomorrow. :) #lifethisweek

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    1. Thank you, Deb, for following me on my WP blog. I look forward to reading your May.

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  4. What a switch to change over to Wordpress I bet? Can I ask the reason??
    I love the warmer weather and being able to get outside for some walking. It just seems so fresh right now.
    XOXO
    Jodie

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    1. Hi Jodie - The switch has been fairly straightforward so far. Aside from what I expected as differences in the two platforms, I found a few minor features that I like in WP. I wanted to try WP and pick July as the changeover month so I'll have 6 months on Blogger and 6 months on WP this year. I'm not emotionally attached to either platform. When I started blogging about 2.5 years ago, most of the blogs I follow and my blog followers are on Blogger. Now most are on WP so I hope the switch will give my blog readers a 'like or better' experience.

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  5. I just followed you over to your new site. Yay, WordPress!

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    1. Thank you, Janis, for following my blog on WP. I hope it was an easy experience.

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  6. Oh my you were so busy this past month. I watched a bunch of movies too but can barely remember which. I will definitely have to see the ones you mentioned since I also like Nicole Kidman.

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    1. Hi Mary - Aquaman was a good movie, about 2 hours long. I'd be interested in your thoughts after you watch it.

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  7. Hi Natalie, You are an amazing woman with your many interests and your zest for life. I am intrigued about your daily meditation. It likely helps energize you and keep you positive. I look forward to reading about your June travels. Guten Abend. Gute Nacht:) Erica

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    1. Thank you, Erica, for your kind words. So many interesting things to explore and such limited time, an ongoing dilemma for me :) My daily meditation gives me a quiet moment, clarity, and sets a positive tone for my day. I find it very beneficial. I hope you have a wonderful June.

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  8. The new blog looks good to me!
    Isn't it fun to plan new travels? Can't wait to read all about them in future posts!

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    1. Thank you, Deb, for your feedback. If you have any difficulty leaving a comment on my blog on WordPress, please let me know.

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  9. How exciting to have so many travel plans all laid out. I really like how you organize your monthly wraps ups to include books, movies, and museums/outings.

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    1. Thank you, Victoria, for your comment. I tried to take advantage of the summer sale on air fares and rail fares that we had here by booking ahead.

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  10. visiting from #MLSTL and goodness, your May was certainly full of exploring! And planning more exploration, too. I like the idea of a monthly summary to capture what you're doing.

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    1. Thank you, Pat, for your visit and comment. I think 'explorer' is my dominant archetype :) I find a monthly summary is about right, not too soon and not too late.

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  11. Lots happening AND a blog platform change. Meeting up with bloggers is always fun because there is no need for small talk...you already know a lot about each other.

    Thank you for joining in #lifethisweek. Next week's prompt is 23/51 My Best Birthday Cake. 10/6/19 Denyse.

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    1. Thank you, Denyse, for hosting. My first blogger date (Ann) and I didn't know about each other until we commented on another blog so it made our first date more like a 'blind date'. I'll be away and will miss your link-up for a couple of weeks. Have a nice June!

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  12. It sounds like another varied and full month for you Natalie. Interesting that you're swapping from Blogger to Wordpress. I love my Blogger blog for the simplicity of it and the fact it never glitches, gets hacked or costs me any money - and new themes are only a few dollars if you want to upgrade. I'd be interested to know why you decided to swap over - because I imagine it would be a bit of fiddly process?
    Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I've shared on my SM :)

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    1. Hi Leanne - I wanted to learn something new and most of the bloggers I currently have regular dialogues with are on WP so I gave WP a whirl. I'm not emotionally attached to either Blogger or WP. I use a free plan in both platforms so zero in cost. The changeover is straightforward as I just create a new blog on WP and start writing a couple of short posts there to test. The process is similar on both platforms. The user interface is different in look and feel and some features but they both have similar functionalities. That's what I've discovered so far :)

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    2. I checked out the new blog and it looks prettier than this one - I'm a big fan of white and being spread out (that's why I loved the theme I changed over to last year) I hope it all goes well and I guess if you're not looking at stats etc then starting again from scratch isn't really a big deal and is a great challenge for your brain (I shudder just thinking about it! My brain is still a bit tired from all the prev stress....)

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    3. Thank you, Leanne, for your feedback. I greatly appreciate it. My blog is small in size as I haven't been blogging very long so it certainly makes it easier to move platform. The dashboard in WP does give more insights than the one I have in Blogger.

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  13. What a full life you have, Natalie. Boy Swallows Universe, by Trent Dalton, has been in the news lately because the guy is from Brisbane, Australia, where I live and a theatre production will be underway soon. I just love your new blog it is so fresh and modern! Thanks for being part of the #MLSTL community and have a fabulous June xx

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    1. Thank you, Sue, for hosting, your kind comment, and feedback about my blog on WP. Boy Swallows Universe is an engaging book with a lot of human emotions. Have a fun-filled and junk-free June!

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  14. I loved Boy Swallows Universe. It was one of my faves last year. And I was def not a fan of Serenity... I think when I saw it I'd gotten it mixed up with another science fiction movie out at a similar time and couldn't believe it'd gotten positive reviews! ;-)

    I like the WP blog it seems clearer, if that makes sense. I use WP and find it easy to use.

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    1. Hi Deb - I think I got to know about Boy Swallows Universe from your review so thank you for that. Also thank you for your feedback on my WP blog.

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  15. Great wrap up for May Natalie! Looks like you've had a lovely month! May has been a crazy, busy month for me - so many birthdays and Mother's day too. On top of that - my daughter moved away. I've seen Aquaman at the movies - went with my son and enjoyed it. Of the books you listed I've bought Boy Swallows Universe but haven't read it yet. Here's to a fab June for us both! :-) #TeamLovinLife

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    1. Hi Min - Here's to a fab June for us both! I hope technology like Facetime or the like bridges the physical distance between you and your daughter. Take it easy while you adjust to the change.

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  16. Thanks for sharing a sample of your month, Natalie. I read and enjoyed very much When Breath Becomes Air.

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    1. Thanks, Christie, for reading my post. I found Paul Kalanithi's story moving and thought-provoking.

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  17. The Upside! I need to add that to my list

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  18. I love the idea of keeping track of the books you read!! I'm going to start doing this! Thanks for the idea!

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    1. You're welcome, Jamie. Feel free to track the books you've been reading.

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