September Favorites!

September was a good month.  The Seoul Summer Olympics turned 26, I met a popular author, I finally got my hands on some stuff that I've been wanting for a long time, and yeah, it was generally a good month.

I liked so many things this month. I don't think I have a "dislike" even! Yay, positivity all around. But September was not so nice to my pockets. Well, that's my fault entirely but hey, these purchases happened during this month lol. It was package after package; so much that my brother began to question the amount of parcels I was getting. Some were free, from a survey service, and the rest were paid - on a discount, mind you.

It was rather easy to narrow down my favorites into 10. I mean, just look at my Instagram and you'll have a general idea. I try to mix things up but sometimes, I get into these phases. A friend commented one time that my Instagram page is rather bipolar, that she couldn't pinpoint any ONE interest to describe the whole collection. Hah!  Anyway, let's get started with the list:



1. The Outlander TV series on Starz.
I don't think I ever talked about this.  I'm relatively a new fan of the this whole 1700s Scotland and what came with it but my anticipation was just as great as the older lady fans. It is just so beautiful -- from the setting to the wonderful COSTUME (that got me inspired to crochet bigger projects) and of course, the casting.  Sam Heughan is exactly the Jamie I had in my head while Caitriona Balfe (I will steal your name!) is Claire.  SHE IS CLAIRE.  I never watched a TV show on the exact day/time of airing in quite some time and you will find me in one corner of my room, curled around my iPad as I watch the show on the Starz Plat app.  The #OutlanderWedding is EVERYTHING I could ever hope for. The TV show just went on hiatus and will be back on April 4.  (To those bitching about the 6-month wait, this is NOTHING to a Sherlock fan. And if you're worried that the show will lose its steam, you have no faith. I'm getting off my soapbox now.)

2. Voyager and Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. 

I'm seriously in love and lust with the book series.  I'm trying not to turn my book blog into a Jamie Fraser quote blog.  There are just so many lovely words uttered by this man (well, from the author but hey).  I'm currently reading the 5th one in the series, The Fiery Cross.  My "least favorite" so far is Dragonfly in Amber which is the 2nd one. It wasn't as good as the first one, Outlander, while the next ones were AH-MAZING.  These two are my favorites so far.  Yes, these books are crazy long and complex but if you loved the first one, you just have to continue. It's so easy to fall for these characters, not just Jamie and Claire. Fergus and Ian share a soft spot in my heart. And wee Germain and young Jamie (when he was still a bairn) and even Jemmy are getting there also.  I just can't get enough of these books. I still have three more to go on the main series; still not sure if I'm touching the Lord John ones though. Eventually. Maybe.  I don't know.  And I have a good number of them signed. And oh yeah, multiple copies of the first book.  Och!

3. The Maze Runner movie.
As I mentioned in my full review, I met James Dashner.  And I kind of agree with what he said that the movie is going to be better than the book.  I enjoyed it so much, I watched it twice in one weekend! In fact, this was the only movie that I've seen in a cinema since Guardians of the Galaxy.

Speaking of GOTG...



4. Lee Pace.
He plays Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy, Thranduil in The Hobbit films, Calpernia Addams in the beautiful movie Soldier's Girl, the adorable Ned the Piemaker in Pushing Daisies... the list goes on!  This last month has been all about him.  I've been rewatching Pushing Daisies and how come they never make these kinds of show anymore? Sure it deals with death and depression but it's not dark like Criminal Minds (which I love, don't get me wrong) or some other procedural crime show. It's quirky and sweet and everyone on that show is quirky and sweet.

But I digress. Lee Pace is a wonderful talent. I got so excited when the official cast list for The Hobbit was released and saw his name as Thranduil. He's this big tall guy with intimidating eyebrows... just perfect for the Mad King, and Legolas' dad. His body of work is well-rounded (I forgive that one venture into the Twilight 'verse; at least he was HAWT in that) and I can't stop collecting them!   The bulk of my purchases this month had been towards the completion of his filmography. Money well spent.

5. Alpacasso plushies.

I blame my brother for this. Last summer, he was watching Summer Games Done Quick online, everyday, all day. I get home and find him watching that. I watched a couple of them, especially the one for Resident Evil 2.  In that broadcast, someone had an alpaca plushie.  I wanted one.  So I looked it up online and I just couldn't agree on the size for the price.

One day, I found a Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle store that carried this cute things!  OMG, they were not cheap but at least I had them in my hands.  (Honestly, I have no idea if they're originals but what the heck. I just want one!)  Now, this pink "kiddie" alpacasso resides on the edge of my bed "guarding" my stack of Outlander books.

From the absolutely cute to the absolutely gruesome...

6. Hannibal TV series on NBC.
First of all, I don't watch it on NBC as it airs. I'm kind of late to the party. I planned to watch this when it came out but hey, two season went by and only now am I jumping aboard.  Oh man, Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy! Thank Valar for European men! Mads' accent kills me, omg. And he has the whole dapper Viggo Mortensen vibe, both being Danish. The cases are as gory as they come, if not more. At least for primetime TV. I've finished the first season and am currently waiting for my season 2 DVD.

7. signed books and my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.
I admit, I've been neglecting my Kindle Fire HD lately. *sadface* I still like it but I'm just so madly in LOVE with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. I even use it to watch my shows and movies; something that I don't even like doing on the iPad. The reading experience is pretty much the same on both platforms but with the added bonus of being able to watch videos on the SGT4N as well as the freedom of the Google Play store, I currently prefer my newest baby. My two complaints are the 8gig built-in memory and the lack of cover art when the file/book is "side loaded" or uploaded to the external SD card. My Kindle Fire HD has 32 gigabytes of built-in memory and all the books have cover art whether they be mobi or pdf.

As for signed books... okay, I've been half-cheating and half- well, making an effort.  I have signed copies of Diana Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and Written in My Own Heart's Blood. I also have one of Inside the Maze Runner. Two of them, I actually met the author and had them sign and personalize it for me - Maze Runner and MOBY.  The other two... I bought them signed. And on a discount! XD  As you can see in my alpacasso picture, my Outlander books are hardcover sized. Except my Drums of Autumn copy. The listing said "paperback" instead of "mass market paperback," the smaller form, so I assumed it was the trade paperback size. Turns out, it wasn't. It was the smaller one. But signed. No complaints here.

I got spoiled by it that I got The Fiery Cross signed too. I'm looking to get the next one signed as well but looking at my options, it's too expensive. Maybe I'll just buy a trade paperback with a different cover, other than that solid colored one.  (I swear, this post is not an Outlander love letter LOL.)

For the last three, we go to food.



8. "rummy bears".
Malibu coconut rum + gummy bears = RUMmy bears.  And they are so cute when fully saturated.  I need to make a new batch. It's just my brother and I who eat them so one pack lasts us for a good while. I have a nicely sized mason jar from the 626 Night Market to put my bears into. I have a pack of gummy worms waiting in the wings and half a bottle of Malibu so we'll see how well the worms take to it. ;-)

9. Brookside Dark Chocolate, Pomegranate.
It's pricey but one large bag will last you a while. Plus, I got mine from Target using that Cartwheel app; I got 5% off or something like that. This stuff is so addictive! A co-worker brought a smaller bag to work one day and we demolished that thing in 15 minutes flat.

10. Kit-kat Green Tea flavor.
The most sought after flavor of all. And I have 2 1/2 bags of it waiting for me.  XD  It is as amazing as a lot of people are saying. An acquired taste for some but it's still soooo good.  Different, but good.

So those are my 10 favorites for the month of September. It was a very month for food and Outlander it seems! I wonder if any of these will carry over to October. ;-)