TWENTY || Stores I Love

So some of these are definite retail stores, and others I've possibly taken a little more liberty with. All are options for when you have money that really needs spending, though ;P Hopefully there's an idea or two here for you, whether you're a committed shopaholic or someone who just wants to know the best place to get what you want so you don't have to shop around! 

1. Pagani -- I could probably save myself a fair bit of money through staff discounts if I worked there ;P
2. Book Depository -- because NZ$ and free postage is always a win
3. Nando's -- love their food
4. Kmart -- glad someone knows how to do cheap, and most products are reasonable quality
5. KBB Music -- love their customer service; usually visit their Epsom store (since it's the head office and largest store)
6. Reveal Candles -- amazing scented candle PLUS a ring, why not?!
7. Pascoes -- I'm not really sure why, but I've bought most of my SS jewellery from here
8. Muffin Break -- currently my fav place to buy coffee
9. Valleygirl -- I heard they've gone into receivership :O Nooooo!!
10. CD Baby -- postage seems to be pretty decent, and they stock albums I can't find in NZ
11. Fishpond 
12. Manna Christian Bookstore -- for every time I need a gift and don't know what to get ;P
13. Vistaprint -- because personalised cards, address labels, stamps . . . 
14. Robert Harris -- which is really my grandad's fault ;P
15. Christianbook -- for when NZ companies don't stock the movies you want to see. It's a good idea to do a bulk order though; postage makes small orders unfeasible
16. Typo -- which seems to have taken over the popularity Smiggle once had
17. Mirrou -- the latest and greatest, apparently 
18. Bed, Bath & Beyond -- I initially went because I needed a gift and they had sales on, so I thought I'd check before going to Briscoes. I'm not sure whether it's the clearance stickers or gifty items that pose the greatest threat . . .
19. ICE --  which hasn't come to NZ as far as I know :/
20. Stampin' Up! -- Because having cardstock, ink, ribbon, designer paper, and various other embellishments where the colours match perfectly is always a good idea. And the stamps are pretty awesome. Still disappointed they didn't restock En Francais in the current catalog. 

TWENTY || Unusual Animals You Didn't Know Existed

Most of you who have been following for a while probably know that I love animals; some, your standard house pets, others, not so much.I thought it might be fun to go hunting and find some more unusual animals that you might not know of. Some are pretty cute, and others, well, aren't so much!

1: Red-lipped Batfish

Scientific name:  Ogcocephalus darwini
Found: Around the Galapagos Islands and off Peru

2: Pink Fairy Armadillo

Scientific name: Chlamyphorus truncatus
Found: Argentina

3: Maned Wolf

Scientific name: Chrysocyon brachyurus
Found: South America

4: Hummingbird Hawk-Moth

Scientific name: Macroglossum stellatarum

 Found: Europe, Asia, Northern Africa

5: Tufted Deer

Scientific name: Elaphodus cephalophus

Found: China

6: Blue Glaucus

Scientific name: Glaucus atlanticus

Found: Coasts of South Africa, Europe, Australia, and Mozambique

7: Gerenuk

Scientific name: Litocranius walleri

Found: Africa

8: Bush Viper

Scientific Name: Atheris hispeda

Found: Africa

9: Babirusa

Scientific name: Babyrousa celebensis

Found: Sulawesi and other Indonesian islands

10: Irrawaddy Dolphin

Scientific name: Orcaella brevirostris

Found: Bay of Bengal & Southeast Asia

11: Lamprey

Scientific name: A lot :P

Found: Most countries

12: Lowland Streaked Tenrec

Scientific name: Hemicentetes semispinosus

Found: Madagascar

13: Saiga Antelope

Scientific name: Saiga tatarica

Found: Russia, Kazakhstan

14: Blue Parrotfish

Scientific name: Scarus coeruleus

Found: Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea

15: Zebra Duiker

Scientific name: Cephalophus zebra

Found: Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leonne

16: Gobi Jerboa

Scientific name: Allactaga bullata

Found: China & Monqolia

17: Okapi

Scientific name: Okapia johnstoni

Found: Democratic Republic of the Congo

18: Kinkajou

Scientific name: Potos flavus

Found: Central and South America

19: Star-Nosed Mole

Scientific name: Condylura cristata

Found: Canada & United States

20: Markhor

Scientific name: Capra falconeri

Found: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Uzebekistan, Himalayas

TWENTY || Historical Events That Took Place On My Birthday

Time for a history lesson ;P According to this website, a lot happened on July 2 throughout the years; here's a selection:

1. 1505: Martin Luther declared he would become a monk
2. 1687: King James II disbanded English parliament
3. 1698: Thomas Savery patented the first steam engine
4. 1843: An alligator fell from the sky during a thunderstorm in Charleston, South Carolina
5. 1847: An envelope with the first US 10c stamp was used
6. 1849: Garibaldi began hunger strike in Rome
7. 1865: William and Catherine Booth founded the Salvation Army as the East London Christian Mission
8. 1900: LZ-1's first flight
9. 1916: Lenin said that Imperialism is caused by capitalism
10. 1921: Warren G. Harding (29th US President) signed a joint congressional resolution declaring the official end of war with Germany
11. 1926: US Army Air Corps created
12. 1928: British parliament reduced the age women could vote to 21
13. 1937: Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean
14. 1940: Hitler orders invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion)
15. 1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (US President) signed Civil Rights Act & Voting Rights Act
16. 1971: USSR performed underground nuclear test
17. 1972: Fiddler on the Roof closed at Imperial Theater NYC after 3,242 performances
18. 1972: Bob Seagren pole vaults world record 5.63m
19. 2001: AbioCor self-contained artificial heart created
20. 2002: Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo, non-stop around the world, in a balloon

TWENTY || Shades of Green

Since green is one of my current top picks for colours, I thought it might be fun to look for some alternate words to describe various shades. It's amazing how limited our working or day-to-day vocabularies can become!

1. Green
2. Lime
3. Pear
4. Pine
5. Pickle
6. Chartreuse
7. Fern
8. Moss
9. Parakeet
10. Pistachio
11. Juniper 
12. Olive
13. Shamrock
14. Mint 
15. Basil
16. Sage
17. Emerald
18. Seafoam
19. Seaweed
20. Crocodile

As found here.

TWENTY || In Twenty Languages

This post won't help a whole lot for spoken vocabulary, but you could at least be a polyglot online! {Where are my emojis . . . }

1. Dwadzieścia || Polish
2. عشرون || Arabic
3. Venti || Italian
4. Twintig || Dutch
5. Viginti || Latin
6. Dvadeset || Croatian
7. Douăzeci || Romanian
8. Fiche || Irish
9. Ishirini || Swahili
10. Kaksikymmentä || Finnish
11. E rua tekau || Maori
12. Tuttugu || Icelandic
13. Vingt || French
14. Amabili || Zulu
15. Zwanzig || German
16. двайсет || Bulgarian
17. Ugain || Welsh
18. είκοσι || Greek
19. Vinte || Portuguese
20. Tjugo || Swedish

According to this page, anyway. 

TWENTY || Random Facts About Me

1. My favourite colour is purple
2. I'm the bossy firstborn ;P
3. I love knitting and I can do basic work while reading a book or lying in bed with all the lights off
4. I was raised in the city . . . 
5. but am a country girl at heart
6. I'm not really sure why I took Economics in grade 12, but it turned out to be one of my favourite courses
7. I don't have Facebook
8. As of last Monday I have been a licensed driver for 5 years (wow time flies!)
9. I love gourmet food . . . 
   
10. But I'm not so keen on fast food
11. I'm a dedicated believer in the Oxford comma
12. Chocolate and coffee are my love languages
13. I'm not obsessive; just don't put washing UPSIDE DOWN in my folding piles!!
14. Country and bluegrass are two of my favourite music genres
15. I love a good steak
16. Love my iPhone
17. I love photography -- and browsing photographers' blogs
18. If my cat brings me a wild mouse I'll be saying how cute it is while Mum jumps up on a chair
19. I still think of Microsoft Office 2007 as being new
20. Tim Hawkins comedy is right up my alley

#WordsOfWisdom

“Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

~Benjamin Franklin