Twelve Hour Photo Challenge...

Hello! So I decided to take the twelve hour photo challenge - you take one photo every hour for twelve hours... it sounds really simple but you'd be surprised how quickly you can forget that you are taking a challenge. The hours also seem to fly by really quickly and by the time you know it, it's time for your next photo. So here is my result and my photos for the challenge...

Photo #1 - 10:38am 

My sister and I took a trip down to the Eaton Centre in Toronto for the day. My first photo is of us waiting at the bus stop. I'm wearing Steve Madden combat boots and my sister is wearing gelly shoes.

Photo #2 - 11:52am

In true Canadian fashion, I had to take a picture of this "We The North" sign at the Air Canada Centre. (Even though I know nothing about basketball whatsoever unless it's associated with One Tree Hill.) 

Photo #3 - 12:28pm

 This is my sister browsing the vinlys in HMV. She has a record player and was looking for a new record to play. My sister doesn't like this photo of herself but I think she looks fab!

Photo #4 - 1:12pm  

This photo was taken at Chapters. I'm obsessed with reading and I'm obsessed with purchasing a million books even though I have a million at home that I haven't started yet. I took this photo because I love fashion as well so I thought it represented two of my passions - reading and fashion. There's the beautiful Charlize Theron on the cover of a Dior book. 

Photo #5 - 2:42:pm

My fifth photo is of these cute vintage roller-skates that were on display in Urban Outfitters. I love how the tiffany blue and cheetah print contrast really well next to each other.

Photo #6 - 3:05pm

This sign was outside a place called "David's Tea" and I thought it was very clever how they wrote "Tea Birds" on the back of Danny Zuko's leather jacket. (Pun very much intended.) 

 Photo #7 - 4:21pm

This picture was taken on the train - on our way home from the Eaton Centre. There was quite a long line of graffiti displayed on cement walls and I thought it was very artsy and beautiful. 

Photo #8 - 5:40pm

My eighth photo is of a little patch of daisies (my favourite flower) growing in the middle of dirt, cement and grass. I think it creates a great juxtaposition - beauty and grace vs ugly and rough.   

Photo #9 - 6:43pm

 I actually stopped my car at the side of the road to capture this photo. There were two horses eating grass in a field and it was so serene that I couldn't pass the photo opportunity up.

Photo #10 - 7:25

This is a photo of my boots kicked up on the back of the movie theatre seats, and getting ready to watch "Sex Tape". (Rebel)

Photo #11 - 8:42pm

My eleventh photo had to be a picture of the actual movie playing because I didn't have any other choice since it was clearly pitch black in the room. It's a bit blurry but you can still see the gorgeous Cameron Diaz.

Photo #12 - 9:58pm

This photo was actually an accident. I saw my cat sleeping in this basket and went to take a photo of him but when I snapped the photo, he began to yawn. He isn't mad at me I swear.

Photo #13 - 10:30pm

My last photo represents my night and relaxation time - a cup of coffee, sitting on the couch with some candles lit and watching some TV.

the Fading series review...

I love to read. It's one of my favourite hobbies. Sometimes I'll read five books in one week and get so caught up in the stories that I have to remind myself what is real life and what is from the pages of the books that I've drowned myself in. I am definitely one to get major book hangovers. It's the worst feeling when you finish an amazing novel and are so depressed because you felt such a connection with the characters; it's as if the've left your life. I felt this recently with an amazing book series by an author who wrote such a strong, heart wrenching story in three completely different perspectives. 

E.k. Blair is the author of three amazing books, "Fading", "Freeing" and "Falling". The "Fading Series" is the story of a college student/ dancer named Candace who experiences something horrible in her life and the journey she takes to overcome her fears. The three books are based along the same time line that the event occurs, but are told by three different people. "Fading" told by Candace, "Freeing" told by her gay best friend Jase, and "Falling" told by Candace's lover Ryan. The three different point of views are about how they all dealt with Candace's tragedy but also about events in their own lives that they are dealing with.  

What may seem like a drag to read the same story three different times, is totally amazing and leaves you wanting a fourth or even fifth book. E.k.'s ability to tell the same tale in three unique and interesting ways is a talent in itself. I never got bored reading these books, I never felt like I was reading the same story over and over. E.k. was able to write the perspectives of three different characters and make you fall in love with each of them. 

Candace, a strong woman who experienced something no person should have to experience, took you through a journey of her healing. You were able to feel and experience with her the pain, regret, agony and hurt that she was feeling. When I was reading her story, I cried many times for her and with her. I've never read a story where I was so opposite and different from a character, but also connected with her so well. Candace is an inspiration to everyone who has been through something and thought that their world had hit rock bottom. She is the woman who inspires someone to power through the wound that is affecting them and realize that this is not their end, their story continues on. 

Jase is a character that many can relate to whether they are like him or not. In his point of view, you see that he is not only the best friend that a girl can have but also such a kind and caring man who'll do anything for someone he loves. The admiration I have for his character is endless. The patience and understanding he had for Candace was unlimited and I loved his own personal story of the struggles he was experiencing at the same time. 

Ryan is any girl's dream man. From his strong demeanour to his soft and gentle heart, this man is a combination of perfection and a pure hero. The love he has for his mother and Candace warms my heart. The patience he has with Candace to overcome her fears was touching. His story showed you inside what made him the way he is and the reason for some of his actions. It showed the transformation that a girl as fragile as Candace helped Ryan make of his life. 

I recommend this book series to anyone and everyone. You will cry, laugh, hurt and smile and you'll love every page of it. This book series is utterly beautiful and will change your life. You will not be able to stop thinking about it for months and you'll go back and re-read parts of it multiple times. I can't and probably will not ever find a story that affected me as much as this one has, and I hope I don't. 

"And though she be but little, she is fierce."