.: Books I've Read For 2012 :.

So I've decided to list down a list of books I've read this year to just keep record and see if reading 50+ books a year is really achievable (as so one of my besties asked the other day).

1) Keeping Faith (Jodi Picoult)

2) Mercy (Jodi Picoult)

3) A Lost Wife's Tale (Marion McGilvary)

4) Before I Knew You (Amanda Brookfield)
5) How To Become A Millionaire Landlord (Azizi Ali)
6) The Watchman (Robert Crais)
7) The Closers (Michael Connelly)
8) Bed of Roses (Nora Roberts)
9) Danger In A Red Dress (Christina Dodd)
10) The Butterfly Cabinet (Bernie McGill)
11) Chasing Darkness (Robert Crais)
12) They Found Him Dead (Georgette Heyer)
13) Three Times A Lady (Sarah Webb)
14) Animal People (Charlotte Wood)
15) Catillion (Georgette Heyer)
16) Where The Love Gets In (Tara Heavey)
17) 44 Scotland Street (Alexander McCall Smith)
18) Blood Vines (Erica Spindler)
19) Gone Baby Gone (Dennis Lehane)
20) Still Life (Louise Penny)
21) Compulsion (Hilary Norman)
22) Deadly Kin (Tom Eslick)
23) Home From Home (Carol Smith)
24) Watch Me Die (Erica Spindler)
25) Got You Back (Jane Fallon)
26) Something From Tiffany's (Melissa Hill)
27) No Place For A Woman (Donna Hay)
28) Once A Thief (Kay Hooper)
29) Sing You Home (Jodi Picoult)
30) The Partner (John Grisham)
31) Hurting Distance (Sophie Hannah)
32) A French Affair (Susan Lewis)
33) Girl With A Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier)
34) Death Toll (Jim Kelly)
35) It Had To Be You (Sarah Webb)
36) Treachery in Death (J.D. Robb)
37) Where Rainbows End (Cecilia Ahern)
38) Happy Ever After? (Patricia Scanlan)
39) The Best Of Me (Nicholas Sparks)
40) Bones To Ashes (Kathy Reichs)
41) Tough Customer (Sandra Brown)
42) How To Win Any Arguement (Robert Mayer)
43) Young Sherlock Holmes : Red Leech (Andrew Lane)
44) The Other Half Lives (Sophie Hannah)
45) The One I Love (Anna McPartlin)
46) A Different Kind Of Beauty (Sylvia McNicoll)
47) WTF? 23 Properties By 30 (Faizul Ridzuan)
48) Matters Of Life & Death (Bernard MacLaverty)
49) The Summons (John Grisham)
50) The Lovely Bones (Alice Seabold)
51) Truth Or Dare (Jayne Ann Krentz)
52) What The Nanny Saw (Fiona Neill)

As of July 2012, I am still way behind on my 50 books per annum target. Will need to catch up if I wanna achieve this goal.

As of August 8th, I have only achieved 50% of my targeted read for the year.

It's already beginning of Sept and I still have 20 odds book to go! But I'm gettin my momentum back! :)

Another 10 weeks left to year end, but 14 books (including 2 read-in-progress). Gotta keep it up! :)

A book and a half to complete in three days! #missionpossible #challengeaccepted #52booksin52weeks

A couple of hours before the stroke of midnight, I've officially completed my #52booksin52weeks challange! #selffive #patsback #proudofmyself #missionaccomplish #newyearsresolution :)

 

.: Contest-Junkie Anonymous :.

Hi. My name is Kathlynn. I am a contest junkie. I can’t help it. I really can’t. It’s the thrill of getting an email to inform that I have won something. Or that adrenaline-rush when scrolling down the Winner’s list to see my name there.

I really, really am addicted to contests and freebies.

Help!

List of things I have won during the past two years since I started becoming a contest addict:

1) From Nuffnang
- Double passes to Orphan
- Double passes to any movie - DiGi contest (I choose The Ugly Truth)
- Double passes to Surrogates
- Double passes to Law Abiding Citizen
- Double passes to Phobia 2
- Double passes to Ninja Assasin
- Double passes to New Moon (thanks to Yin)
- Double passes to Avatar (thanks to Yin)
- Double passes to Paranormal Activity 
- Double passes to Valentines Day
- Double passes to Karate Kid
- Double passes to Eclipse (thanks to Tammie)
- Double passes to Going The Distance
- Double passes to The American (gave away to my brother)
- Double passes to The Social Network 
- Double passes to God Of Carnage 
- Double passes to Hoodwinked Too : Good Vs Evil
- Double passes to Super 8 (didn't redeem coz I was not well! Damn, heard it was an awesome movie!)
- Double passes to The Adventures of TinTin (3D) 
- Double passes to Prometheus
- Double passes to The Possession

2) From another online contest site
- Double passes to Cold Prey 2 (which I didn’t redeem coz the only screening left at that time was in Johor)
- Double passes to The Time Traveller’s Wife + the novel
- Double passes to Love Happens
- Double passes to The Princess & The Frog
- Double passes to Sherlock Holmes (giving away, coz I'm attending another one)
- Double passes to Did You Hear About The Morgans
- Eight in-season passes (sweet!) - which expired before I could redeem! Damn!
- Double passes to Clash of the Titans
- Double passes to Date Night
- Double passes to When In Rome
- Double passes to I Hate Valentine's Day (did not redeem)
- Double passes to A Nightmare On Elm Street 
- Four passes to The Switch
- Double in-season passes to Next Three Days (didn't manage to redeem as I had work to do)
- Double passes to The Green Hornet (didn't redeem coz I didn't even remember entering this contest. Too late *sobs*)
- Double passes to Burlesque
- Double passes to The Rite 
- Four passes to X-Men : First Class
- Four passes to Green Lantern (via Benedict)
- Four passes to Mr Popper
- Two passes to In Time
- Two passes to The Darkest Hour (didn't redeem) 
- Double in-season passes to Wrath of The Titans
- Four passes to What To Expect When You're Expecting (thanks to Yin)
- Double passes to Skyfall 
- Double passes to Upside Down (thanks to Yin)

3) Other free stuffs
- Free birthday pass from GSC (so I manage to catch 2012) 
- Purse hook (from AliceWonders.com Got Boobies? contest)
- Hi-5 Surprise contest (won on behalf of my colleague's daughter)
- Free KFC, A&W, Pizza Hut, Rasamas meals at various occasions
- Free petrol @ Petronas
- Honeymoon trip for two to Bali (Waka De Umi)
- A dress for Irenelim Fashion 
- Free cooking classes by Nineteen Culinary Studio 
- Free make up lesson (thanks to Jessying, but didn't have time to redeem *sobs*)
- Jaya Jusco shopping vouchers 
- Cufflinks (from Cuffz)
- Esmeria Organic Skincare Set (thanks to Plusizekitten)
- A pair of Nose wedges (thanks to Shelbybaby)
- 120 BH Cosmetic Palette (thanks to Donna Dell)
- Scrabble pendant (thanks to Simple Reviews)
- Bisou Jumbo Cupcake (thanks to TOKL)
- Free beauty products and such for review purposes
- Six tickets to catch Magical Musical at Sunway (thanks to Mix.FM)
- Two tickets to catch Kings & Queen of Comedy Asia 2 (thanks to MyDKualaLumpur)
- Four tickets to catch Aladdin Musical (thanks to Mix.FM)
- Skin UV White (thanks to Miss Sunshine)
- A book Animal People (thanks to GoingKookies)
- RM15 cash voucher (thanks to Popcorn)
- A wedding garter (thanks to WDW Blogs for Brides)
- A zipper bracelet (thanks to Michelle Soleil)
- Some eyeliner & eyeshadows (thanks to Pinkbox Makeup)
- RM100 shopping voucher (thanks to TheStar)
- Four passes to Titanic 3D (thanks to Capital FM)
- Pizza Hut vouchers (thanks to Audrey FourFeetNine)
- PJ Laugh Fest 2012 (thanks to JayaOne)
- Four passes to Madagascar 3D (thanks to Capital FM)
- Four passes to Hotel Transylvania (thanks to Hitz.FM)
- A bottle of Escada Especially Escada perfume (thanks to Capital FM)
- A bottle of Chloe perfume (thanks to Malaysian Women Weekly)

 

I mean, it’s mostly movie passes and minor stuff like that, so it’s not like it’s that big of a value, unlike those out there who have won laptops and handphones (the biggest would have to be the honeymoon trip to Bali) and etc.

But you can’t blame me for the thrills I get from winning these lil prize can you? *wink*

.: Run :.

#run365

.: Series of Series in 2012 :.

Fun fact : I have watched close to 250 episodes in aggregate of TV series this year. That is approximately 140 hours or 6 solid days! :)

I am crazy like that! :)

 

#suits #HIMYM #glee #criminalminds #bigbangtheory #sherlocks #newgirl #prettylittleliars

.: December Movie Marathon :.

So, December is probably the month that I have watched the most movie, and definitely the month where I paid the most for the movies I have watched (as opposed to the ones I won).

So, here’s a summary of the December flicks:

The Hobbits : An Unexpected Journey

I suppose this is one of the highly anticipated movies of the year, next to The Dark Knight Rises. Being a fan of Peter Jackson’s LOTR Trilogy, I could hardly give this a miss, so I dragged the poor Husband (whom, I swear, is the only man alive that has not watched LOTR!) to catch this movie with me at Citta Mall’s MBO*. I was forewarned that the movie, to some, it seems to be a letdown, I suppose this is especially when you have an epic movie like LOTR to meet up to. I personally enjoyed it, and the Husband somewhat didn’t hate it (win!). It’s true that it does not have the WOW factor that was projected by LOTR, but the Hobbits is one of the better movies this year!

Les Miserables

This is a movie where you either love or hate; as oppose to being neutral. The movie is based on a musical which is in turn based on a book written by Victor Hugo in French, with a cast like Russell “Gladiator” Crowe, Hugh “Wolverine” Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried. I personally find the singing less impressive, it was good, but somewhat lacking the strong vocals one would get if watching, say, a Broadway production. Nonetheless, it tugs one emotional string, and as I tried to hold back my tears at a couple of scenes, some cinema-goers beside me weren’t as shy, taking out tissues after tissues to wipe dry their tears. I must really take my hats off to Hugh Jackman for a wonderful performance as Jean Valjean! IMHO, he deserves the win for Golden Globe Award for this (this movie has four nominations, by the way!)

Life Of Pi

Directed by Ang Lee and also having three nominations at the Golden Globe, this movie is another adaption of a novel by Yann Martel, a Canadian Man Booker Prize Award winner for said novel. At surface level, it’s a remarkable story of an Indian boy, named after a swimming pool in France, travelling in a Japanese ship to Canada. Escaping the storm in a small lifeboat, the story continues with the journey of Pi and a Bengal tiger with an Englishman name, Richard Parker. At a deeper level, the movie’s central theme subtly threads around religion and faith of mankind in God. Something to think about. When Pi asked writer of the two stories told, and which did he prefer, the writer replied “The one with the tiger. That’s the better story.” To which Pi replied “Thank you. And so it goes with God”, summing up the entire novel/movie.

Upside Down

In one sentence, loved the concept (of a world where dual gravity exist) but hated the storytelling. A supposedly love story, but the romance was somewhat underdeveloped and underplayed and seriously lack chemistry (hate it when that happens in a romance movie!). The storyline was all over the place, switching from one to another, it was just plain confusing and frustrating. The graphic was great, and the night scenes of the two worlds are beautiful, but, unfortunately was not enough to save the movie. I would give this movie a miss, given the aplenty choice of movies to catch this year end!

*MBO Citta Mall is my new favourite place to catch a movie, namely because
(i) it is not so crowded (one can get decent seats for an over-the-counter ticket purchase for the latest movie (and the cinema is a quarter occupied),
(ii) parking aplenty (no need to go round and round in circles fighting over parking spots) and it’s free (for now)!
(iii) air-cond is just nice for my liking, not too hot, but not freezer cold
(iv) new amenities!

For showtime details, check out Cinema Online website here!

.: Day 4 : Phuket :.

As we didn't have any activities planned up on Day 4, we decided to laze around in bed longer.

We stuffed ourselves to a hearty breakfast at the hotel, again a decent buffet spread. I had some coco puff cereals with cold milk, because I can't remember the last time I had soggy coco puffs (jus the way I like it!) :)

We went back to our room again and laze around for a bit, with the windows open so we can enjoy the sea breeze. The husband took a snooze while I decided to get another massage (you can never get enough of massages I tell you!). He refuses to join me as he finds massage stressful because it's ticklish (weirdo!). It was good, but unfortunately, not as good as the first time as this one was done but an older lady (which at first I thought was a good thing since older equals more experienced, but I suppose I was wrong).

It was already almost lunchtime when we decided to again go down town by the hotel shuttle. We walked for a bit, had some street food, then headed back at 3pm. We decided to go for a swim and it was good as we had the whole pool to ourselves! The joy of going on a holiday during off peak period! We took a walk at the beach, watched some locals fishing for crabs (with their bare hands, mind you) and then went back to our room to shower.

We were already dressed up and ready when our driver picked us up for the FantaSea Show at Kamala, which is approximately 20 mins from our hotel. As we arrived at the most raved-about place in Phuket, we were plesantly surprise to see that it was a sort-off mini theme park. Kids would have appreciated and enjoyed this place more, but we were thrilled nonetheless to be walking through carnival-like the place. Was particularly attracted by the white tigers, tho it's abit sad to see them caged out like that. There were elephants ride as well, but the husband and I decided to give it a skip. The Kinaree buffet was absolutely worth it (it's optional as part of the entrance ticket - but I recommend you to take it as its really value-for-money). It was very well organised, and the variety was aplenty. Again, a tad bit disappointed that there were not as much variety of Thai food as I'd like it to be, unfortunately. We manage to take a peek at the VIP buffet which has additional seafood spread, for a higher price of course. Didn't seem worth the extra money, but hey, I'm a bit bias coz I'm not a big fan of seafood anyways.

As we enter, we had to deposit our camera (including camera-phone) at the counter. I was actually quite amazed at the crowd control, and everything happened so efficiently and organised like clockwork. Imagine, there are a crowd of about 1,000+ people at the very least? We decided to upgrade to VIP seats (earlier during the purchase of the tickets), as we made the booking last minute, but if you already intend to go for this show & could pin down exactly which day, it's advisable to buy the tickets at least 3 days in advance if you want a good non-VIP seat. However, no regrets for the VIP seats as it was worth every penny.

The show was absolutely spectacular. I was blown-away by the beautiful colours of the costume, the lightings, the sounds, the music, the children and animal co-ordinations everything! Spoiler alert : If you think that everything happens on the stage, you are wrong! There are performance, left, right, center & top! Yes, the acrobats at the top were the most entertaining, I was literally awed by them! Ok, I know I am quite easily impressed, but still… And we had a lil surprise during the show. One of the elephants pooped *lol* But that was quickly swept off, and as they say - the show must go on.

When the show ended, there was huge amount of people going out to collect their deposited camera. We had to wait quite abit, but again, impressed with the effeciency of the staff. The show ended at close to about 10pm. And because the night is still young, we decided to explore our last night in Patong town again. We went to another club at Bangla Street, but the performance was a quite disappointing as compared to the first one we went to. It was funny tho, to see some drunk American boys stripping along as the did a pole dance. Yes, they went stark naked! So my second experience at a strip club. Perhaps will bring the girls to these places for the hen's night (girlies, pls get married soon, I am so looking forward for your hen's night!)

We took a tuk-tuk back home at about 1ish, leaving behind a still very-wide-awake and very-alive Patong town.

.: Give A Little Love :.

.: Worship Songs :.

Awesome worship songs playing while I work...

He Is Exalted - Shane & Shane

I Can Only Imagine - Mercy Me

Hosanna - Paul Baloche

Refiner's Fire - Brian Doerksen

Holy Is The Lord - Chris Tomlin

Better Is One Day - Matt Redman

I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever - Delirious

God Of Wonders - Third Day

Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfill

Blessed Be Your Name - Tree63

How Great Is Our God - Chris Tomlin

I Stand In Awe Of You - GTA Praise Band

Come Now Is The Time To Worship - Brian Doerksen

.: Unplugged :.

Strange.

Strange indeed.

There was a time in my life where it was all about the music. I only could study with two conditions - ONE, it has to be past midnight and TWO, with the music on. One element without the other, I somehow find my absorption rates ineffective. Perhaps psychological.

Then, when I started working, I started to mellow down. Prolly due to the fact that I find it difficult if a colleague is talking to me while I have earplugs in both my ears. Also, I used to listen to my Ipod shuffle in the train to and from work, but I find it abit dangerous as I will be less aware of my surroundings. I tried to mitigate both concerns by using earplug on one side, and unplugged (pun intended) on the other side. But eventually, I gave up altogether.

Today, seeing that most of my colleagues are plugged on to the computer with earphones and what-not, I decided to try and see if it still works for me. But it's definitely perking my mood this morning listening to Christmas songs to get into the Christmas mood (no, it can never be too early!) :)

.: Project Greenfield :.

"Investment has a meaning only when one can enjoy the fruit" quoted from PropertyWTF forum.

If one is not already familiar with this forum, well you should. PropertyWTF is a platform for property buyers across Malaysia to discuss via forum their thoughts on - well the title says it - properties. Be it a first time home-buyer or a novice investor or a seasoned investor one will find this forum useful.

As crude as one may think the title mean, I believe it was meant to be an eye-catcher-tougue-in-cheek-humour. The "W" in WTF stands for "what-when-where" and "TF" naturally stands for "To Find".

I have been using this forum as a reference (with minimal participation coz I am shy among the great sifus who have provided their thoughts and valuable insights.

I have personally met one of Malaysian's very own taikor investor, Faizal Ridzuan, fondly known as Pai in another forum (Lowyat), who has humbly shared his investment strategy. That was about two years back. Of recent months, he has published a fast-selling book - titled WTF? 23 properties by 30, also sharing his insights in more detail.

I pretty much subscribe to his investment strategies, tho I beg to differ to some, only because I have a different set of risk appetite compared to him. But overall, I think his investment strategies are highly sound and his insights are much applicable to the current investment property market. A highly recommended book to read if you are considering dabbling into property investment.

Also, you may want to look into Star Property website for more feedbacks/opinions from the public!

Anyways, just a thought to share.

Here's to the launching of Project Greenfield! *clinks champagne glass*

.: Finding Nemo 3D :.

.: Skyfall :.

There has been some mixed review of the latest James Bond movie - Skyfall, but like everything else in life, one can never please everyone.

The fact of the matter is that majority (with exception of a handful) of the reviews I have read and gotten so far is that it is indeed one of the best James Bond movies in the last 50 years.

Now, I have to first disclaim that I could not concur with such a bold statement as I am not such a die-hard great fan of the iconic shaken-but-not-stirred Bond, but I have caught a few of the movies on screen as merely for entertainment purpose - so I did have a few predecessing Bond movies to compare with anyways.

I have to admit that Skyfall is one of the best I have watched in the James Bond series and also in fact one of the better movies I have watch this year! I love this quote from one of the reviewers "Few things get better with age. Among things that do; a good scotch and, in his latest incarnation, Bond….James Bond."

And here is why I conclude so
(WARNING, SPOILER ALERT!)

The movie plot is simple thrilling & at a climax - all the way from it's opening sequence until the end. Unlike the previous few movies ago, this 23rd Bond movie is less gadgety (it's all back to the basic "gun & radio").

I must also note that Ben Whishaw played a very cute Q (youngest actor to have played Q in fact). I loved the conversation between Bond & Q when they first met, so pay more attention during that scene!

I also find this double-oh-7 movie a little bit less sexist, and I was surprise to find out that there are some out there who concurs with me (read here for an interesting article by The Guardian). Sure, there are still steamy scenes with hot babes (how can it be a Bond film without?), but the fact that the backstory of Sévérine being a victim of sex trade perhaps explain the reasons of the positions of all the other Bond women? Anyhows, I did left the movie without feeling that the babes were just merely eye-candies; all this with just a one minute scene of conversation. Well scripted, if I do say so myself!

Also kudos to the villian's role Tiago Rodriguez aka Raoul Silva, very well played by Spanish actor, Javier Bardem (looks a lot like Robert Downey Jr, don't you think so?) which, in my books puts him the same league as Joker in the Dark Knight! A role that "honored the bad guys of old, yet one that breaks new ground" is apt to decribe Raoul - which is all eccentric, sick-humoured and creepy with huge mummy-issues. The scene of Bond's first encounter with Raoul was also one of my favourite - where Raoul tells a symbolic & sinuous story of rats on an island and then proceed to behave suggestively towards Bond! (Oh, I just have too many of favourite scenes in this movie!)

The one that takes the cake, is M played by Judi Dench which is oscar-worthy in my books! In this film, it's really a lil less of Bond and a lil more of M, in a good way. I guess it's no huge secret that she died in the end (kinda sad really)!

So, in conclusion - well developed characters with great chemistry, back-to-basic-weaponary and fights, unconventional villian, awesome soundtrack with the same title by Adele (Her voice! Wow!), well-written script… Isn't that enough reasons for one to catch this highly anticipated movie? :)

Q: It always makes me feel a bit melancholy. Grand old war ship. being ignominiously haunted away to scrap... The inevitability of time, don't you think? What do you see?
James Bond: A bloody big ship. Excuse me.
Q: 007. I'm your new Quartermaster.
James Bond: You must be joking.
Q: Why, Because I'm not wearing a lab coat?
James Bond: Because you still have spots.
Q: My complexion is hardly relevant.
James Bond: Your competence is.
Q: Age is no guarantee of efficiency.
James Bond: And youth is no guarantee of innovation.
Q: Well, I'll hazard I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pajamas before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field.
James Bond: Oh, so why do you need me?
Q: Every now and then a trigger has to be pulled.
James Bond: Or not pulled.
Q: It's hard to know which in your pajamas. Q.
James Bond: 007.

.: Soft Kitty :.

Not feeling well of late.

Was laying a bed with the sniffles and slight fever, when I asked the Husband to sing to me

"Sing to me soft kitty" I tried my best Sheldon (The Big Bang Theory) impersonation.

I taught him the tune, and the Husband went along to entertain his much amused wife

Soft kitty, warm kitty;
little ball of fur,
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty;
purr, purr, purr.

.: The Big Bang Theory :.

The series that keeps me laughing & keep me sane mostly.

A must-watch!



Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has, rock crushes scissors.

.: Time :.

"Our life is made up of time; our days are measured in hours, our pay measured by those hours, our knowledge is measured by years. We grab a few quick minutes in our busy day to have a coffee break. We rush back to our desks, we watch the clock, we live by appointments. And yet your time eventually runs out and you wonder in your heart of hearts if those seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and decades were being spent the best way they possibly could. In other words, if you could change anything, would you?"


Cecelia Aherns : Love, Rosie

.: Singin' The Blues :.

Yesterday was feelin a lil bit down.

Was walking back to the carpark from a friendly archery tourney held at Berjaya Times Square organised by my dept.

The skies were grey, holding threat to rain anytime soon. It's been like that the past few days, an indication that we are heading in to a slightly earlier monsoon this year. As I walked alone, I feel miniscule droplets of water on my skin. I looked up, and the sky has indeed turned to a darker shade of grey, covering whatever lil sunrays we had just minutes ago. I contemplate increasing my leisure pace to my car, which is about another three minutes walk from where I was.

Nah, I said to myself. I rather enjoy my slow, leisure walk. And if it rains, so much the better.

I recalled a time when I was still in Form 5 (that was about a decade ago). The dad usually sends me to school, and I would walk back. That day, it was raining. Of course, I could have stayed in the canteen, have some fried wontan soaked in watered down chilly sauce which sells for RM1 for 3 huge pieces. Or I could stay in the library and catch up on some reading. But I thought to myself, I needed this.

So, the rationale part of me (thank goodness there was) made sure I took care of the books in my non waterproof bag. I left my text & work book at the desk of my favourite teacher (forget about the homework, I can always do it the next day; Somehow. Somewhat). And then I did it. I walked. Under the rain. It was liberating. It was exhilarating. It was just.so.ugh! As I walked, the rain soaked my uniform. My shoes & socks were filled with water from puddles that I walked on. As I wiped the mixture of rainwater and tears from my eyes, I felt so relieved. There's no need to put on that mask and just be who I really am inside.

I felt I needed that so much yesterday.

Unfortunately, like that to the promises made by politician, the promise of rain by the nimbostratus clouds didn't crystalise and I left that carpark still feelin the blues.

.: Short Stories :.

It’s been a while since I last blogged. As always, just too much on my plate to juggle, just too little time.

Priorities has (yet again) shift, me being more into watching series these days (no thanks to my current boss introducing to me this site which allows me to watch the latest series the very day it's airing). I am currently watching HIMYM up to their latest episod and I also finally joined the bandwagon of The Big Bang Theory. Speaking of series, I very much liked the one that Benedict introduced to us - which is Suits.

Finally, a series that both the Husband & I unanimously agree to. No more scissors-paper-stone-ing to see who gets to what which series first - Glee or HIMYM.

Suits is appealing to the Husband very much because it relates to what he's doing. You see, this series is about corporate lawyers (nope, not like Ally Mcbeal, totally different league) who is coniving & brutal, characteristics one would need to survive the dog-eat-dog corporate world.

I particularly love the show due to it's witty-but-not-lame humour (similar reasons to why I love watching BBC's Sherlock series)

Unfortunately, we consumed the two seasons like hungry wolves and hence have to go on a Suits hiatus until the new season airs early next year. Why, oh why?

Benedict has also introduced us to New Girl, but the Husband wasn't too keen. As for me, I am just mesmerised by Zooey Deschanel's beauty (she is just so mesmerisingly beautiful! Really!) and the series is quite good, but because I am spoilt for choice, I do rank HIMYM, Criminal Minds & (currently) The Big Bang Theory higher then New Girl. And when Suits & Sherlock comes in next year, I am gonna be swamped by series-watching.

I have given book-reading a rest, so I still have 17 more books to go to complete my #52booksin52weeks challenge. I still think it's achievable if I start to proactively kickstart my reading again and scale back a little of watching the addictive series. Ah, the typical first world dilemma (#firstworldpain).

Oh, and if you must know, I have also butchered my hair to bob-short now, throwing away about 12 inches of my locks. I am still in a i-love-my-haircut mode, but I got a gut feel that I will be regreting this decision in the near future. Typical women, no?

.: Foolin' Around :.

The cousins, the brother and I fooling around after our mini project.

It's gonna be an awesome weekend two weeks from now! :)

Yup, my hair is finally short! About 12 inches snipped away! :)

.: Wake Up, September Has Ended :.

Holla all! Today's the day where you smack silly all your friends who have requested to be woken up when September ends. I shall not even start on how many people on my Facebook & Twitter alike have posted / tweeted that *facepalm* [or was is *palmface* - I can never remember]

It's indeed a beginning of a new month, and also the beginning of the last quarter of the year. Personally, today will be a time of reflection for me. Of how far I have been and how far more I will be going. And tho I must admit that I am feeling a bit down the last few days (probably also due to the fact that I was feeling under the weather - with the coughing & wheezing & backaches & sore throat), I am still thankful for God's shower of blessings in my life.

There is so much more I want to do before the clock strikes twelve to mark the new year.

I would love to at least substantially complete my interior house décor to make my crib a lil more homey. I would love to get my hands down and dirty with all the arts & crafts ideas lined up on my Pinterest board, tempting me to try. I would love to try out more new recipes, using and testing ingredients that I have never used before, pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I would love to get another property for investment, better still if it's of a different portfolio mix of that we already have. I would love to spend more quality time with my family and not forgetting more quiet time with our Heavenly Father. I would love to travel to a new place (even if it's local). I would love to whip out my camera, wipe the dust of it's lens and take a few good shoots. I would love to complete my 52 books read this year challenge. I would love to lose the pounds I have gained (and even more) to achieve a healthy weight.

There's really so much to be done, but I shall conquer it a step at at time.

Til then, goodbye September, hello October! :)

.: Study Room Colour Theme :.

My study / reading room colour theme! Gettin' there!

.: Baby Star :.

.: Day 3 : Phuket :.

Day three, the both of us woke up not feeling too well. The husband had a series of diarrhea the night before, and tho I had purge (only once thankfully), my body felt weak and I was having a slight fever. We contemplated postponing our second island hopping trip, but after weighing the pros and cons, decided to proceed anyway.

Breakfast spread at the hotel was good, a slightly different variety from that served yesterday. The husband had porridge due to his upset tummy, while I tucked away eating 'normal' food (I never quite did with the 'sick' food thingy whenever I'm not well).

Yummy breakfast!

The transport to pick us up to the ferry came spot on time. However, other passangers decided to follow "Malaysian time" (and they are NOT Malaysian, mind you) and so we ended up spending almost close to an hour waiting! If I were the driver, I would have just droven away. Both of us were feeling a little annoyed, and it doesn't help that we are not feeling well at that.

Thankfully the boat at Ao Po pier did leave without us (or I swear I would have strangled that family on the spot!). Our tour guide on board gave a quick introduction and explained to us the places we are about to visit. Unfortunately, he was not as entertaining as Darling (of our first island hopping tour) and was as dry as stale bread, so I drift off to enjoying the view & breeze as we slowly cruise to our first destination.

Our first stop was Panak Island, where we went in pairs with a canoe deep into a cave full of bats. To the batcave *cue for batman's theme song*. It was a new experience for us sitting in a canoe going deep into the limestone rock cave. There was at one point deep into the cave where it was pitch black (the canoe rower switched off his headgear light).

The Batcave aka Panak Island

We came out and proceed to our next stop - Hong Island. We were given a choice to canoe ourselves or have someone canoe for us. Thankfully, we decided to have someone row for us. Reason is that he took us to this beautiful place at the lagoon, only accesible thru a cave entrance. And it's no joke that it takes skills to manuver the canoe through the caves - with high canoe traffic and also it being high-tide ish. But all the traffic-canoe-jam enduring was worth it because when we reach to the other side of the lagoon, it was BEAUTIFUL.

View from the canoe

Seriously took my breath away, like I was in some scene of a romantic movie. Gosh! The the blue skies, the sun's ray glimmery on the surface of the crystal clear water, I could just die on the spot and be happy! This was definitely the highlight of my whole trip here.

Tight squeeze (watch your head) to the other side!

Ok, fine, the second highlight, first being to spend time with the husband *cough*cough* But I seriously felt sorry to those who opt to canoe themselves, coz they didn’t get a chance to see the even more beautiful side of the lagoon… Such a pity!

This picture does no justice! It was absolutely beautiful!

Another peak to the other lagoon!

After that adventure, we had lunch on board. As we were both not feeling to well, we took a few bites of the buffet spread. Again, like the buffet of the previous island hopping tour, it was palateble, but don't expect much.

Our cruiseboat right there!

Our next stop, James Bond Island. To me, I didn't appreciate this place much as it's too touristy for my liking.

The tourist souvenir shop that greeted us at James Bond Island. 

The iconic landmark of this island

Our final stop was to Naka Island, where we were allowed to canoe to an island and swim around. We decided to stay on the cruise boat and took a nap there, which was absolute bliss!

We slept throughout our car journey back to the hotel. Recharged from the nap and also the fact that we felt much better already, we decided to explore the night life of Patong town. We decided to try this restaurant recommended by some. It was tuck away in one of small streets off Patong's. It was a lovely, quite place, with just a few patrons. But the food was good, portions were huge that I regret not swapping my fries for some salad as there was plenty of fries leftovers after we stuffed ourselves.

Dinner!

We headed down to the busiest street of Patong at night - Bangla Street. It was an eye opener to see many of these lady-boys standing about touting everybody to visit their pubs/clubs. Being a tad adventurous, we decided to have a look at the famous Phuket ping-pong shows.

Night light of Bangla Street!

As there was many to choose from (it was so confusing!), one of the tooters said that we can have a five-minutes-no-obligations-peek at the choices of club he has. We went to a couple, and settled for the one that was on the second floor called Ah-Go-Go club, being that it is less dodgy that the others available. Do also note that the will usually start off with a crazy price of THB1000 (equivalent to RM100). Then, they will give a "discounted rate" or THB750 (RM75). Again, if you turn them down, they will move down to THB500 (RM50). And when we show that we are not really that interested, they will lower it to their lowest of THB250 (RM25) if I recall correctly. Which is a bargain, given that it's the entrance fees to watch the ping-pong show was well as two drinks (one alcohol & one soft drink).

And so we saw what we came to see. I felt that it was amusing and disgusting all-in-one. At some parts, my eyes were open wide in amazement, but cringing at most part. Will never look at VeeJayJay the same again. There were some intermission strip shows and what not too. I observed a couple sitting nearby - the wife/gf was not too happy to be in such a place, and her partner was obviously insensitive to her need. She was showing such black-sulking-face, but her block was either too dumb to not read her or couldn't care less. Anyways, if you are going to such places, it is best to get consent from your partner. The last thing you need is to have some harmless fun ruin your relationship. Also,be warned that there will be "compulsary-tipping" at the end of the show, and if you refuse they will give you that dirty look so much so that you'd think they unleashed their VJJ at you to swallow you up!

Pole dancing aplenty!

It was close to about 1am, when we left the place and took a tut-tut back. Remember to check with your hotels what is the standard rate, and use that rate. The tut-tut drivers do not think twice to slaughter you with ridiculous price, and you must always remember to bargain!

That was the end of Day 3 at Phuket.

*pardon the pics, can't seem to rotate it (didn't bother to try hard anyways, hehe)

.: Recap :.

I've noticed that I've been blogging less and less of late. From a regular stream of approximately 15ish to 20ish blogpost a month, reduced to a shameful single digit.

Again, it's not that I do not have the time, but the juggle between work and other leisures means that some things that I love to do have to take the backseat, for the time being that it.

I have also put my baking completely on-hold, as I focus more on whipping up new Chinese dishes. I am proud to say that I have successfully emulated Lemon Chicken, Marmite Chicken & Taw Yew Bak (Soya Sauce Pork) with part help from googled recipe, but it was heavily modified to ingredient in hand as well as whatever foodish instinct I have.

I had revisited Project Scribe again i.e. clearing more junks of paper in my house and doing up so long overdue-ed filing. So not my forte. I just hate filing coz I don't believe that I'm a very neat person to begin with.

I have also been allocating more times to my reading i.e. in sheer determination to achieve my #52booksin52weeks target. I have another 18 books left, so if I continue the pace, I may be able to complete by end Nov. BIG IF. I have at least another 4 purchased books lined up begging to be read, plus the endless supply of library books. Also, am considering to drop by the Subang Jaya Book Exchange that is held weekly in a community hall nearby. Will see how that goes.

My camera has also taken the backseat, and the only recent snaps I took is the day trip to Sekinchan over the long Raya weekends.

Pinterest have became my biggest vice, as I addictively pin down ideas that I wish-to-do-in-the-near-future. But we all know that the near future isn't that near, or even unlikely to happen. But I am proud to say that out of the stuff that I have pinned, I have tried at least 5% of it. Hey, it's a start! Will find time (if ever) to post the DIY's I did - which are DIY tree branch decor for my living room, photo frame collage for my living room, 3D papercraft art for my study/reading room.

As for Project Wallaby, it will be on-hold again, given that the opportunity we had is unlikely to crystalise.

Again, there's much achieved for this year, for it has indeed been eventful. There's plenty more to do til year end, but whatever it is, I am thankful for the blessing that God has showered me (and us) throughout the year! :)

.: La Di Dum Di Dum :.

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

What's the name of that song?

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

What's the name of that song?

It goes la-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

Something something birds.

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-dee,

I wish I remembered the words.

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

What's the name of that song?

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

I'd like to sing right along!

I've heard it said,

With words and music

A fellow can't go wrong.

So la-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

What's the name of that song?

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

What's the name of that song?

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

We need the name of that song!

It goes la-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

Something, something nice.

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-dee,

I think it repeats itself twice!

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

What's the name of that song?

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-dee,

I know the name of that song!

It's called--now wait,

I think I got it!

Oh, no--I must be wrong--

So la-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum,

What's the name of that song?

(Honkers) Honk-ee-honk-ee-honk, honk-ee-honk-ee-honk

(Oscar-annoyed) What's the name of that song?

(All) La-de-da-de-dum, La-de-da-de

(Oscar) They keep on singing that song

They go La-de-da-de-dum, La-de-da-de-dum

La-de-da-de-dum,

La-de-da-de-dum, La-de-da-de-dum,

They start it all over again.

La-de-da-de-dum, La-de-da-de-dum

(Gordon) Something shining above.

(two-headed monsters sing some unintelligible words that end with something that rhymes with "above")

We can't help singing La-de-da-de-dum

Loud and clear and strong.

But La-de-da-de-dum, La-de-da-de-dum

La-de-da-de-dum, La-de-da-de-dum

La-de-da-de-dum, Laaaaaaaaaaaa!

What IS the name of that song?

Sometimes, I would, on complete randomness, hum a tune that I recall from my childhood days. Usually, it would be in bed, while I catching up on my reading and the husband busy doing whatever he is doing on the internet (I-don’t-wanna-know!). He would look up at me and ask "What are you humming too?"

"Let me show you" is my usual reply as I snatch the laptop from him and google the title of the song on Youtube. I patiently wait for the video to load (no, unfortunately we don’t have Unifi, so we are stuck at a Gary-the-snail speed)

When the video plays, I will sing along to the song. He is as amused (as am I) on how I can memorise the lyrics to songs that I've listed to 20 odd years ago. No, if you are one who thinks I have the memory of Suit's Mike Ross (#Suits) [one of the best series I have watched so far] or Criminal Mind's Dr.Spencer Reid (#CriminalMinds), you're wrong. I barely even remember what I had for lunch yesterday or where I left my hp & wallet when I'm in church (I have this habit of leaving my stuff around church).

So, how and why do I remember all this irrelevant things? Like when Rory, the new Irish lad in Glee sings "Bein' Green" I immediately recognise that song as one sang by Kermit the Frog in one of the Sesame Street episods I so religiously watch when I was younger. Or more tunes from Sesame Street like "What's The Name Of That Song?" or "Sing After Me" or this particular song "Food Around The Corner" from a cartoon.

Now, I regret introducing these songs to him, coz he hums it out all the time!

.: Anger Management :.

"Ayahanda marah tak?"

"Tidak, dancing lah sampai pagi"


Quote from my favourite P.Ramlee movie of all time! :)

.: One Down :.

#52booksin52weeks

.: Day 2 : Phuket :.

Day 2 at Phuket greeted us with the sounds of waves gently lapping on the shores of beautiful Tri Trang beach. Our room, which we paid at a discounted rate, much thanks to Agoda, had a lovely beach view which the both of us appreciated.

Our feet were tired from yesterday's exploring around Patong town, but we were up and about early to have the hotel's complimentary buffet breakfast. The spread was reasonable good - had pad thai (can't get enough of it!), fried rice, ham, sausages, pancakes & french toast. Skipped the varied fresh fruit spread to spare from overstuffing the stomach. We were, afterall, excited with our very first island hopping trip & the last thing we wanna do is get all sea-sick & puky on the speedboat.

The Sea Angel Speedboat that we took! (Well, our's was No.5)

We were greeted by the driver who picked us up on time in his van. We arrived at Reseda Harbour an hour-drive later. Our tour guide, who introduced himself as Darling, was such a hilarious & entertaining fella. On board, he joked and teased especially with a group of young Pakistani men whom didn't mind (in fact encouraged) the teasing.

Beautiful lagoon!

Beautiful blue skies that day, thank God!

We made a couple of stops to the the highlighted placed - Monkey Beach, Loh Samah Bay, Pileh Bay, Viking Cave (which are cluster of places in Phi Phi Leh Island). We skipped Maya beach, given the rough waves. I must admit, it was a fun first-time experience snorkeling on my part at Coral Bay, but I wasn't impressed with the (lack-of) variety of fishes and corals. Tho the water is relatively clean & clear, as seen from the boat, it was a little murky & being over-crowded with tourist (from other boats) there is relatively little maneuvering spaces for us. Kept bumping into other fellow snorkelers. I really can't imagine what it would be like during peak-season!

The water here is so clear that it reflects the colour of the greens!

After a short snorkeling session, a quick pit-stop at a beach and a couple of snapshoot-and-go attractions, we headed to Ton Sai Bay for lunch. The buffet lunch is not exactly of high-standards, but it was palatable. Don't expect any Thai food. In fact, we just had some fried chicken, some sweet-sour fish dish, watered-down bolognese sauce with pasta, and others which I don't even bother remembering.

Boats at Ton Sai Bay

After our lunch, we had a quick walk around the area. As all tourist areas - full of street food : crepes, fruits, pizza, etc. And of course, beach wears vendors aplenty trying to sell their bikinis, T-shirts, sarongs, beach hat, etc.

Koh Khai Island with the famous colourful beach umbrellas!

We boarded our boat "Number 5" (private joke), and headed to Koh Khai Island. I must admit, it's the first time I ever sat on a beach chair to just do nothing but rest and relax, and I was indeed enjoying myself. Of course, the cold refreshments and complimentary fresh fruits of watermelon & pineapples served by our very own Darling was the icing to the cake!

On the way back, we were exhausted, so we slept the whole journey in the van.

When we arrived at our hotel, we took a quick shower and was ready for our next itenary : Simon Cabaret Show!

One of the many colourful costumes the ladyboys (yes, they are men, not women) wear!

I have read many positive reviews of this show, but I was still impressed with the overall show. The costumes, the choreographing, the music & lighting, they were just done so well! If you have not watched a cabaret (which we haven't) you must not give this a miss! Be careful tho, you may be tempted to take pics of them / with them, but it you will have to tip them. They can be ruthlessly unhappy if you try to take pics of them for free. I manage to steal this one, but dare not proceed further after seeing a bunch of tourist harressed by them for not paying!

After the show, we went back to our hotel; made ourselves some instant noodles (local instant noodles, of course!) for dinner (since we are still full from lunch) and went straight to bed.

That was our second day at Phuket, and were we exhausted from the day's adventure!

.: Hurting Distance : Sophie Hannah :.

So, if you have not already known, I have gotten my reading mojo back! I have recently covered close to about 8 books within a span of one month (that's two books a week if you're bad at maths, jus' sayin' *cheeky smile*). 

And because Bridget is challenging herself to complete 52 books by end of the year i.e. #52booksin52weeks, I took that as a personal challenge as well #challengeaccepted. 

I must say that because of my recent job change, I have been able to spare some time in the mornings before work to read a couple of chapters and sneak in a few more pages during lunchtime. You see, due to logistics (which I care not to elaborate, unless you ask me personally), I have to be in office before 7am. And because works officially starts at 8am, that's a whopping one hour plus to: 

1) get my coffee from the pantry

2) check for facebook update

3) read a book

Anyways, to cut to a long post short, I was reading this novel Hurting Distance and I absolutely loved it that I had to recommend it to all you out there. You see, the first few chapters of this book was a-okay, but midway, the climax was so intense that I was reluctant to put the book down when my lunchtime was over. So much so that at 5 sharp, I took my novel out from my drawer and shameless read away. As most of my colleagues already left the office, and I didn't wanna stay alone, I went to my car and continue reading it til it reach a bearable anticlimax-near-ending. That's almost 20 mins in the car. I know. I'm nuts. The husband pretends to understand as he called and asked me where I was, and I explained to him my predicament and abruptly hang up the phone to continue reading. Yes, he married a nut, pity him.

Anyways, this is the second book of Sophie Hannah's psychology thriller. I recalled reading her first of the series, Little Face. I remembered it to be good, but not memorable enough so much that I would select another novel from said author. But this book definitely got my attention, and I will be on a look out for more of Sophie's novel in my next visit to the library.

Extract of synopsis :

Three years ago, something terrible happened to Naomi Jenkins – so terrible that she never told anybody.

Now, Naomi has another secret: the man she has fallen passionately in love with, unhappily married Robert Haworth. When Robert vanishes without warning or explanation, Naomi knows he must have come to harm. But the police are less convinced, particularly when Robert’s wife insists he is not missing.

In desperation, Naomi has an idea. If she can’t persuade the police that Robert is in danger, perhaps she can convince them that he is a danger to others. Then they will have to look for him – urgently. Naomi knows how to describe in detail the actions of a psychopath. All she needs to do is dig up her own traumatic past…

Bear in mind tho, this is not for the faint hearted. There's a few graphic and disturbing descriptions which may or may not be too much, especially for a young reader, so read at own discretion. 

.: Di Persimpangan Dilema :.

Masa berlalu

Tanpaku menyedari

Percintaan yang kita bina

Hampir terlerai

Apa salahku

Kau buatku begini

Dalam dilema

Di antara jalan derita

Tidak pernahku duga

Ini semua terjadi

Oh!

Janganlah engkau

Menghancurkan segala

Setelah lama

Kita mengharungi bersama

Usah biarkan

Cinta kita yang suci

Dilambung ombak

Karam dilautan berduri

Hanya satu pintaku

Moga kau menginsafi

Oh! Semua ini.

Telah banyak yang kuberi

Sejak dulu lagi

Pengorbanan tiada pernah jemu

Hanyalah Tuhan saja

Bisa menentukan semua

Kesabaran daku menantimu

Oh!

Kutetap memaafkan

Dan berdoa kau kembali

Sebelum diri melangkah pergi

Janganlah engkau

Menghancurkan segala

Setelah lama

Kita mengharungi bersama

Usah biarkan

Cinta kita yang suci

Dilambung ombak

Karam dilautan berduri

Hanya satu pintaku

Moga kau menginsafi

Oh! Semua ini.