Get Kamfortable

Books Read in 2018

01.05.19

In 2018, I read a grand total of 20 books. To me, this number seems to be on the lower end, however, I read some fairly large books this year. I read mostly fiction, although I did attempt a few non-fiction. I realize non-fiction is not for me. I get bored quickly, and would much rather listen to Podcasts to learn something new. Books to me are a way to get away from reality and are the main way I do my self care. Most of the books I read this year I would highly recommend to you all. I think the only ones that I wouldn’t recommend are the non-fiction books, HAHA!

Anways, the following is a list of all the books I read this year in the order I read them. Since I am always looking for recommendations from family and friends, I think this will be a great resource for you all who love to read as well. I’ll write a short commend beside each book, but I’ll make sure to link the book as well so you can read a short summary. Let’s get to it.

Ender’s Game

Although this book is a children’s book, as an adult I absolutely enjoyed it. It has such a great message that it will make it on anyone’s favorites list.

How to Retire Early

I love listening to Podcasts about money and investing, so I thought I’d read a book on the topic as well. This book was fairly easy to read, but I didn’t really learn anything new compared to what I learn from Podcasts.

The Intelligent Investor

This book was so dry that I read half and gave up. It made me realize I prefer fiction over non-fiction and that Podcasts work as a way to learn new things versus books.

When Breath Becomes Air

This is probably one of the few non-fiction books that I absolutely loved. Highly recommend! It made me cry so much!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I first read this series in undergrad, however, with my terrible memory, I love reading books again. These books are all absolutely amazing and the movie is very well done as well.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest

Year Round Vegetable Gardener

This was the book I read that got me super excited to start our own vegetable garden this year, which turned out much better than I expected. Check out my blog post on lessons we learned from our first ever backyard vegetable garden!

How to Win Friends and Influence People

As an introvert and a person fairly uncomfortable in social situations, I thought this would be a great book to learn some tips and tricks. However, the book was alright and quite boring. Wouldn’t recommend unless you enjoy non-fiction.

The Alchemist

This book was recommended by a friend at work and it’s so so good. It’s short, fiction and has a great message.

The Count of Monte Cristo

I first read this book in high school in my AP English class and I loved it. I read it again after almost 10 years and absolutely loved it once again. The book is huge and took my almost a month to read.

The Way of Kings

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors and everything he writes is pure magic. This series is another one of my favorites. I read the 3 books he has in the series so far, but he’s writing more as well. May need to re-read the books once he releases all the books. Highly recommend!

Words of Radiance

Oathbringer

The Fifth Season

This series of books was recommended by my supervisor at work (he has similar taste in books as I do). The author of this series won the Hugo award for each of the books in the trilogy. She has other books as well, which I will probably read in 2019.

The Obelisk Gate

The Stone Sky

Crazy Rich Asians

I started reading these books after I watched the movie since I loved it so much. All the books in the series are equally entertaining. A good way to end the year with a comedic and light book.

China Rich Girlfriend

Rich People Problems

That’s all for my list of books read in 2018. As I start going back to work, I’m going to get back to reading and hopefully surpass the 20 books I read last year. Please let me know your favorite books, I’m always looking for recommendations.

Kamfy Living

DIY Toilet Paper Roll Crackers – Perfect for New Years

12.29.18

If you’re looking for a fun and easy DIY to do with your friends and family using supplies you already have at home, these DIY toilet paper roll crackers are perfect! My good friend and the blogs food editor is in town and we have been working on some DIYs and recipes for you all. And these toilet paper roll crackers were on the top of our list. We sat down, pulled out some toilet paper and all my crafting supplies and got creative to make these beautiful toilet paper roll crackers.

DIY Toilet Paper Roll Crackers - Perfect for New Years

We filled the crackers with a small gift and some confetti and we think they are perfect for any holiday or New Years table setting. Be creative, fill the toilet paper cracker with something for your loved ones and watch as they have fun opening the cracker and finding a small gift inside. Although these crackers don’t actually crack, there are some tutorials online as to what you need to make them crack. We wanted to use supplies we already had at home. So, these toilet paper crackers need to be opened on one end and the confetti and gift falls out as a surprise.

Supplies – DIY Toilet paper roll crackers

Toilet paper rolls

Tissue paper

Scissors

Glue

Tape

Confetti

Decorative string/ribbon

Wrapping paper

Ruler

Pen/pencil

Directions – diy toilet paper roll crackers

Start by looking through your gift wrap supplies and use tissue paper and wrapping paper that you love and goes well together.

Take your toilet paper roll and fill it with some confetti and/or a small gift. We filled ours with some hand lotion and a Mala (bracelet) by North Pacific Co.

Cut your tissue paper to 14 x 9 inches. Place the toilet paper roll in the center, taping on one end to secure. Now wrap the tissue paper around the roll and tape the other end.

Twist the sides of the tissue paper and use a string or ribbon to tie the ends to secure and tie a bow to make it look nice.

Now, this is the part where you can get super creative. Use wrapping paper cut to 5.5 x 4.5 inches to glue onto the middle of the toilet paper roll cracker. Or, instead of wrapping paper, use some string to go across and make a design. We even used some pretty fabric and glued that onto the middle of of one toilet paper roll cracker!

And there you have it. Place these toilet paper roll crackers on some pretty dinner plates as a part of the table setting. And watch as your friends and family open them up to find a gift inside!

For more fun DIYs, check out the Kamfy Living section of the blog.

Happy DIY-ing 🙂

Kam Travels

Oahu Travel Guide – Part 3

12.22.18

Okay, I’m back with the final part for the Oahu Travel Guide – part 3! It’s been great for me writing these guides because it feels like I’m still in Oahu as I reflect back on our trip and all the pictures Gursheel took. This final Oahu guide is a bit bittersweet for me because now I need another trip to look forward to. Anyways onto the Oahu travel guide – part 3:

Oahu Travel Guide

Manoa Falls

We headed out early in the morning and had the most beautiful drive to Manoa Falls. There are signs in the parking are to pay a 5 USD fee, however, we couldn’t find anything or anyone to pay so just headed for the hike. I think the most amazing part of this hike to the falls is after 5 minutes into the hike. It is SO lush and there are enormous trees everywhere and it feels like your in the middle of a set of Avatar! The hike is fairly easy, the hardest part being that it is quite muddy and slippery. Wear good shoes and you’ll reach the falls within 20 minute or so.

Nu’uanu Pali Drive and Lookout

As you drive toward the Nu’uanu Pali lookout, you’ll see signs for a scenic drive and we decided to check it out. There are barely any cars on this drive but the views are INCREDIBLE! It’s like a hike for your car! We couldn’t get over how beautiful everything was, so we decided to pull over and take some pictures. Again, no cars came and we got to appreciate the beauty. Once you get to the lookout, you pay a 3 USD dollar fee to park and can appreciate Oahu’s beauty from afar.

Lanikai Pillbox Hike and Lanikai Beach

This hike I found to be the most challenging of all the hikes we did. The entrance to the hike is across a golf club in a residential area where all the houses are gorgeous! Apparently, Obama spends his Christmas holidays in this area as well every year. You will see quite a few people doing this hike and there is not very much shade, so bring sunscreen and water. The reason I found this hike hard was because it is so slippery! In the beginning there are ropes to help you pull yourself up, however, as you near the first pillbox, there is nothing, so I used my hands to slowly bring myself down. But the views are incredible the entire way. You can see Lanikai Beach from everywhere.

Once you slowly but surely bring yourself down from the hike, walk down to Lanikai Beach to cool off and appreciate the beautiful beach.

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens

This beautiful botanical garden is free to visit and everywhere you look you see lush trees and plants and beautiful mountains. We took film shots here, and I can’t wait to develop those and see how they turned out.

Byodo-In Temple

This temple is 10 minutes from the Botanical gardens and it’s both beautiful and peaceful. There is 5 USD fee per person to enter the temple. There is also a pond with koi fish that you can feed buy purchasing some food from the shop.

Chinaman’s Hat

Chinaman’s Hat is a little island that looks like a hat, hence the name. When there is low tide, you can walk over and enjoy the beach at this tiny little island. We just watched as people put on their scuba gear and took their swimming rods. There are a lot of fishermen here since you can fish and take it home to cook for free.

Kamehameha Highway + Kahana Bay Beach Park + Sunset beach + sharks cove

Kamnehameha Highway is the main highway that takes you to and from the North Shore and it is beautiful. We stopped multiple times on our way to the North Shore. We found beautiful beaches and even swings attached to trees along the way.

Laniakea Beach – turtle Beach

One of the highlights of our trip was seeing the sea turtles and at Laniakea Beach you see so many. They are so cute!

Haleiwa town + Beetbox cafe

Haleiwa is another popular tourist area in the North Shore and you see this sign as you head into town. There are so many cool shops, restaurants and cafes here. Our favorite was the Beetbox Cafe, which was vegan and had the yummiest acai bowls.

Kaena Point Hike

The Kaena Point Hike is on the western tip of the island. It was recommended to us by our Airbnb host and I have to say it was one of our favorites. There is no shade, so sunscreen and water is essential. As you walk around, you can find monk seals among the beautiful terrain.

Dole Plantation

Dole Plantation is where you can get the truest pineapple experience. There are tours available and a maze, however, we just went inside the huge gift shop where everything is pineapple. The highlight for me was the pineapple cutting show and the delicious Dole Whip.

That’s all folks, the final Oahu Travel guide. Check out Oahu Travel Guide part 1 and Oahu Travel guide part 2 for more recommendations!

Happy traveling!