Honoluzoo

First, I want you guys to know that it is not, in fact, called the Honoluzoo. It is the Honolulu Zoo. I just feel that they really wasted an opportunity for a solid pun here, and am a little disappointed.

That said, I found the zoo to be a little disappointing in general. Now, don't get me wrong-for the size of the island the zoo is on, I think they did the best they could, and the animals look fairly well cared for. But, several of the exhibits, which I really wanted to see were closed, including the hippos. There was also no one around for guidance, or questions, or to keep screaming children from pissing off the gorillas while their parents laughed. That shit makes me SO angry!

The zoo is right near Waikiki beach, and the entrance fee is pretty reasonable. There are better zoos in the world, yes, but this one tends to have less crowds, and is  a great way to spend an hour or two.

They did have some great hot weather species though! Like, the komodo dragon!

Komodo are really cool. Not dinosaurs, like people believe, but still cool.

The black Rhino are critically endangered killed primarily for their horn, which, I PROMISE will not make your dick bigger, so please stop trying. These two are, apparently, a breeding pair, which I hope is true. There are so few of these amazing animals left, and their cousins, the white rhino, went extinct several years ago.

I have no idea what kind of bird this is, but he was so cute! There was a aviary where we could see some of the birds-the actual closest things we have to dinosaurs, up close. The BIG birds, like the cultures, were still caged for everyone's safety, I'm sure.

Birds!

This was the pissed off gorilla I mentioned earlier. While this particular primate species isn't that closely related to us, they are still part of our genetic tree. 

I don't remember what this guy was, but he was huge! Maybe 2m standing.

Who doesn't love the little fennic fox? These guys are adorable!

There was an entire Savannah area, which had these giraffe, as well as antelope and zebras just roaming around. I do worry it may have been too close to the lions, but they didn't seem worried.

These guys came all around the area to see all the people waiting for them! It was pretty cool. I got  a video, you can see it on my YouTube!

And some giant tortoise. You may not be able to see it, but we caught these guys at feeding time, so they were stuffing their faces with all sorts of fresh veggies. There were 4 of them, but I don't know if they are being bred or not.

Disneyworld- downtown Disney!

Downtown Disney is basically a giant shopping and food area that is free admission.  I'm pretty sure you can JUST go to downtown if you really want. I'd highly recommend going to at least one of the parks though. They are super fun!
But i digress.
Downtown Disney. Lots of shopping and food, but there is also a lot of entertainment options. There is a movie theater, as well as hybrid restaurant/entertainment shops that have some super long hours for visitors. Downtown Disney also has all of the characteristics of the parks, such as statues, ice cream stands, Mickey shaped everything, as well as all the Disney merch and photo ops you could possibly ask for. Actually, downtown Disney might have a TOUCH more shopping options, as they cater to all the parks features, so you can get a lot of the other park merchandise that may not be in the park you went to (unless you went to them all, in which case you are a baller, and need to take me next time).

Holidays at Disney are AWESOME

Frozen is big all year long, but its even MORE pronounced at Christmas!

Typical picture of men waiting while the ladies shop? 

Yea, okay, so how awesome is this dragon made of Lego? Like, are you kidding me here?

I think I read somewhere that this is actually functional?

Snowflakes in the land of sun!

Seriously, ANY Christmas decoration you could possibly ask for Disney style. 

Loot crate of heroes and a Giveaway!

I got more loot crates! To counter the villains theme, we got heroes this time. I was pretty excited about this one, as I knew that there would be some awesome Guardians of the Galaxy loot, and I was totally right. We are Groot!

*giveaway details at bottom of post*

I would totally watch this

I love getting personalized boxes

The ultimate anti-hero

I put this in my bathroom, and it smells GREAT

Going to put these on a pair of Chucks when I get some

Donatello!

How awesome is this to open?

This was a pretty exciting crate. There was also some extras, like free games from Steam and time on other games, but, really, I don't have time to play more than just Warcraft. It gets time consuming, and adding another game, with school, is just impossible for me. That said, I have a giveaway!

First come, first served! Email me at maliceorchid@gmail.com and I will give you EITHER

1. Doctor Who Legacy App

2. Defense Grid: The Awakening game on Steam for PC

3. Gauntlet in game helm-Mask of the Wrym Slayer (loot crate exclusive)  on Steam

Good luck! <3

Loot crate of awesome villains!

So, I posted a video a few months ago about my awesome loot Crate that I signed up for with my new fab credit/debit card. I had some troubles with the June Loot crate (themed Transform) and had to wait to get it for a few weeks. I don't have a video or post about that one because I didn't like it that much. July's theme of villains, however, I LOVE! 

Seriously, how awesome is the BOX!?!

What it looks like to open a Loot Crate.

Totally awesome Joker/Loki shirt. I cut the sleeves off, because I HATE things with sleeves, and it fits wonderfully. And it looks badass, right?

My awesome swag, including 2 posters (Harley and Joker) a Darth Vader key chain, Deadpool socks (which I gave to my  husband because my feet are too small) and a special cover/edition of Rocket Raccoon comic!

And, of course, the baddest of the bad, Bowser magnet!

If you guys are into geek/gamer/comic goodness, I highly recommend signing up for a Loot Crate. Awesome fun goods delivered to your door once a month-how awesome is that? I got one for my sister for her birthday, and I really hope that August has a theme that she will like!

Want to try it out? You can sign up for 1, 3 or 6 month subscriptions! Use this link to get me a free crate! 

http://mbsy.co/lootcrate/5772815

Cirque du soleil Totem

This year is the 30th anniversary of Cirque Du Soleil, a Canadian based circus company that specializes in carnival meet athletic ability performances. I finally got the opportunity to go to one of the main, and the newest show, Totem. I've seen Cirque as part of a show in Vegas with Criss Angel, which was a lot of fun, but this show was totally different.

The big top circus tent

I would have loved to get some photos, of a video, of the show, but doing so endangers the performers, and it's forbidden. Unlike many of the other Cirque performances, this one was different in that it was much less circus and much more organic performance. The actors are so damn talented, its almost unreal. I love how international the cast is as well, choosing talent over any national boundaries.

Some of the awesome stuff available for purchase

My thoughts on being able to do ANY of the things the performers could. Seriously, so talented!

Yum Yum popcorn!

Cirque selfie!

Photography wasn't allowed, but I got a quick snap before the show

the Cirque logo

Aren't these masks just beautiful?

.I don't know where, of even if, Totem is heading next, but if you guys get a chance to see the travelling version of Cirque, or, really, any version, I highly recommend it! There are always shows going on in Vegas, and you can get some pretty cheap tickets too. I suggest the travelling show because then you get to be in a big top. While the big top has less room for the BIG theatrics and technical stuff, it is super magical to see it all in a circus tent, you know?

So, have you guys been to Cirque du Soleil? What did you think?

Here is the official trailer for Totem, give it a watch, and tell me what you think!

(Another) Throwback post! My Hometown!

My hometown of Guelph Ont, is really only famous for a few things-The University of Guelph, and the hometown of the leader of the Pot Party. I think that's about it. Oh, and the authors Jean Little and Robert Munch.
I know that I've posted pictures of my hometown before-I go there often enough, that there are lots of posts about Ontario. But, this is different. You see, this was before I knew I would be leaving forever. I also thought I could be a semi-professional photographer at some point in my life. As you can see, that never turned out. I don't mean to say I take bad pictures-I think they are quite alright-it just means that I will never make money from it. That's fine. There are plenty of real photographers out there with lots of talent, you know?
So, enjoy these OLD photos (maybe 2 cameras ago) and look forward to some new ones from Ontario in August!

Church of our lady. Religion scares the crap out of me, but the architecture is beautiful. 

Abandoned steam train

The sunsets in the winter are just beautiful sometimes

The ever-peaceful Buddha 

And you thought the church was big from the front! 

Abandoned train station

Collection of random stuff

I just got blogger for my phone, so I figured I'd do a post of random things I take pictures of.
I warn you its pretty eclectic!

Aren't these shoes crabtacular?!? (yes, I know they are lobsters) 

This is the kitchen that I work in

Cool ass clouds around my school

An art exhibit that I really want to go to. I love him as an author, and his art is a lot of fun too

Seattle and Laurell k Hamilton

I know don't talk about it all that often, but I love reading. Seriously.  I'm not that cliche 'girl who isn't like other girls because she reads and drinks tea' kind of girl, but I do like to read. And drink tea.
But I digress.

One of my favourite authors is Laurell K Hamilton.  She writes two awesome urban fantasy series, and has some 30 novels published as well as several short stories. This past week, one of her series-Merry Gentry fae princess-got its newest release, A Shiver of Light.  To support the release, she went on tour and I finally got to meet her in Seattle. 

This is my second time meeting an author and my first time going alone. I was pretty nervous what with crossing the U.S. Canadian border but it all went fine. I love taking the bolt bus across the border because its cheaper, the seats are more comfortable than greyhound, and they have WiFi and outlets for all your charging needs. Seriously, how awesome is free WiFi in a bus?

That is not all my luggage, don't worry! I brought a tiny backpack and a bag for food, that my husband made for me.

That's right, New York Time best seller-multiple times over!

This is Laurell K Hamilton, looking amazing, rocking a super sexy dress at University Bookstore, Seattle. 

The guy taking the picture did a crappy job, but I'm happy that we even got a picture. She liked my chest tattoo <3

I was only in Seattle for about 15 hours before I came back to Vancouver. I had a class to attend, and couldn't be late. I stayed in the Green Tortoise hostel, which is at 1st and Pike, and is such a great, central location for any traveler, and was perfect for what I needed, location wise. I admit, I didn't sleep at all, mostly because the other people in my room were noisy as fuck, and I didn't expect there to be both genders in my 8 person room. Kinda threw me off. I also was paranoid as hell about waking up in time for my 6:30am bus back to Canada. But, the hostel provided breakfast, which I left too early for, and WiFi, that didn't work on my phone. So, it has the potential to be a great, cheap hostel.

But, anyways, meeting Laurell K Hamilton was just awesome.I found out a week before the event that she was coming this close to my side of the country, and I had to go. I miss a lot of cool events because they aren't close enough to me, or they are on days where I have class or work, but I think its important to do things that you WANT to do, you know?

But, seriously though, meeting her was just awesome. She as a person and through her characters inspires me daily to be comfortable with a lot of aspects of myself that are not pretty, or socially acceptable. Through her words, I learned that being me, and just me, was okay. 

So, if you guys want a new cool urban fantasy series to read, I highly suggest anything by Ms. Hamilton. If you're into vampire hunters and zombies, go with the Anita Blake series, starting with Guilty Pleasures, and if you are into fae, fairies and a little bit of torture, go with the Merry Gentry series, starting with A Kiss of Shadows.