.: Dear Maths, It's Time You Move On :.

.: Two Different Hearts, Two Different Reviews :.

If I had one unfavourite novel from all the Jodi Picoult novel, it has to be Harvesting Heart.

Well, I suppose Jodi can't have a 100% hit, and I would have to say that this is one of her miss.

The plot was slow, characters that I could just not relate to, lack of the trademark emotions that Jodi usually displays in her better novel, in summary I AM DISAPPOINTED! In all honesty, if this was the first book of Jodi that I have read, it would have completely shut me off away from her other novels. Thank goodness it wasn't the case because the other novels that she has written are just UH-mazing!

I really wouldn't recommend anybody to waste their money (or time) to get this book.

On the other hand, Change of Heart have got to be one of my favourite picks.

This novel is told chapter by chapter by various characters, one of her trademark writing styles that I love. Touching on (yet again) another controvasial topic i.e. death penalty.

The plot, in summary:

A spellbinding tale of a mother's tragic loss and one man's last chance at gaining salvation. 
Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? Is what we believe always the truth? 
One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to happen. For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child. 
Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? 
Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?

Without revealing much, Shay Bourne's character may be one of her most interesting one yet, and probably my most favourite to date.

Do read this Change Of Heart!

.: Keeping Faith :.

Involuntarily, she recalls the Sunday-school legend of King Solomon. When two women claimed they were both mother of one baby, he suggested cutting the infant in half with a sword, to discover which parent would relinquish her claim on the child rather than see it hurt. Textbook wisdom: problem solved, and no drop of blood shed. But that was just a story. In the real world, often both parents were completely worthy, or completely unworthy. In the real world, there were mitigating circumstances. In the real world, children were often the ones who swept up the messes their parents had left behind.

Jodi Picoult - Keeping Faith

Keeping Faith is about a little girl who, in the wake of a family crisis, develops an imaginary friend who turns out to be God. And female. In this chapter, Faith and her mother Mariah realize that their lives are about to change: a cult takes up residence on the front lawn to uphold Faith as the new Messiah; and a Winnebago arrives bearing the infamous Ian Fletcher, an athiest with a television pulpit, who's come to prove that Faith is a hoax. But then she works a miracle…


Sidenote : Characters of Ian, Mariah & Faith in this novel makes an appearance in Jodi's other novel called Change Of Heart.

.: Feelin Blue :.

Feelin a lil blue. Pretty unexplainable, and I will leave that at that.

.: Aesop Fables :.

Recently have had Aesop Fables on my ELibrary and was reading it last night, much to my husband's amusement. Both knowingly and unknowingly, I have read a couple of Aesop fables during my younger days. It is, afterzll, one of the more preferred choice of indirect moral education back in my days. For e.g. The fable of The Hare and The Tortoise or The Boy Who Cried Wolf (which is known as The Shepherd Boy and The Wolf), I believe, still remains popular until today. The less popular ones, which brings back memories of my childhood reading days includes The Bear and The Two Travellers, The Lion and The Mouse, The Dog and The Shadow, etc just to name a few. What surprises me even more is those unread tales, and the moral of the stories, which are very applicable, even more so especially for adults - of life, of friends, or businesses or of work, etc. I find it really amusing of each parables and how I can even relate to some of it. I read some to my husband, to prove his assumptions wrong that the Aesop Fables are merely "children's bedtime stories". Will be sharing some of these fables soon. Now, back to my reading.

.: New Year's Eve :.

It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt coz that is what new years is all about- getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about what if and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight and it will drop, let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long.

 - Claire Morgon : New Year's Eve -

 If you haven't catch this movie, you should! It's really heart-warming and really makes you reflect.

.: Fifty-Fifty :.

You know it's never fifty-fifty in a marriage. It's always seventy-thirty, or sixty-forty. Someone falls in love first. Someone puts someone else up on a pedestal. Someone works very hard to keep things rolling smoothly; someone else sails along for the ride.

- Jodi Picoult : Mercy -

.: Reading :.

Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him - Maya Angelou -

I am an avid book reader. It must have been because my parents have been reading to me since I was a toddler. I remember that my parents were proud of the fact that I can read a book by the age of three – tho they still am skeptical whether I memorized the words, or actually know how to read the book itself. They claimed that I do know how to point to each word and read them out correctly, but somehow they thought it was impossible for their daughter to be too intelligent at that age, perhaps they must be thinking the apple couldn’t possibly fall far from the apple tree *sneaky grin*

And tho my parents did encourage me to read at a very young age, for some odd reasons, they weren’t as encouraging as they were when I started schooling. Perhaps they wanted me to pay more attention to reading my school textbooks than story books. So, unlike some friends, I didn’t really have the luxury of a big library at home. But that didn’t stop me from reading. My favorite back in those days were novels such as Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, which I can get aplenty from my primary school library! I read a couple of Enid Blyton books too, which I thoroughly enjoy, but nothing was more enjoyable that the detective series. I remember that I will be rushing home to finish the last few chapters of my Nancy Drews and sometimes, much to my mom’s displeasure, read till the wee hours of the morning.

Oh, and yes, perhaps my parents are right to ‘restrain’ me from more books. My homework barely gets done (except for those whom I know the teachers WILL punish – Pn.Devi for one!). I can skip lunch and/or dinner just to catch a few pages. I even read in between commercial when watching TV! Surprisingly, as much as Sweet Valley was ‘in-trend’ at that moment, it never really caught on to me. I also have had some friends who were crazy over manga’s like Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, etc, but I wasn’t really such a big fan either.

Then in secondary school days, I would read whatever I can get my hands on in the school library, and one of the privilege of being a school librarian back in my days is that I get to loan six books instead of three books! Bliss! :)

Nowadays, I realize that I have less time to spare on reading. However, I do make it a point to go to the library as frequent as I could. On average, I would read about a book a week. Which translate to about 50ish book a year. Sometimes, on a good week, I would be able to complete three to four books, but on a bad busy period, it could go on without reading a book for a month. Aside from the books I get from the library, I have also been subscribing to Readers Digest, so I get a book every month.

I must say that 50ish book a year is quite good, given that the average book a Malaysia would read is about 2 books per annum. I, however, must confess that the “quality” of books I read may not be there as I prefer to have “light” books to read as oppose to deeper, reading-for-knowledge books. I suppose to a certain extend, I rather be reading something enjoyable and use less and less of my brain cells, especially prior to bed time, rather than books that triggers me to think. The last thing I need is to be a catalyst for my already hyperactive-brain.

I have also discovered EBooks of late, I mean I have heard of it, it's just that I only started downloading EBooks ever since I got my IPad 2, a birthday gift from Daddy. Not really used to it, coz it just can't beat reading the book in an old fashion way. But we will see if I can get the hang of it!

.: What Makes One Strong? :.

“Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong- sometimes it's letting go.”

It is true that it is not easy to let go. And it does take much more bravery & courage to let go than it takes to hold on. I recalled of how Abraham was so faithful and obedient to God that he is willing to let go his ONLY son Issac to the hands of God. For a man at that age, after years of trying for a child, it really takes such great courage but even greater faith to let go of something so precious to him.

 And perhaps the beginning of this year is a reminder of how I must continue to learn to be faithful and put my whole trust in Him. And that sometimes, it is only when one moves out of one’s comfort zone in obedience that one truly learn to let go one’s grip and reach out one’s hands into the arms of God. Not easy, but it is something that I have been reminded time and again to do.

.: Parents :.

Parents hold their children's hands for a while... their hearts forever.

.: Super Me :.

I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naive

I'm just out to find

The better part of me

I'm more than a bird,

I'm more than a plane

I'm more than some pretty face beside a train

And it's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry

Fall upon my knees

Find a way to lie

About a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd, but don't be naive

Even heroes have the right to bleed

I may be disturbed, but won't you concede

Even heroes have the right to dream

It's not easy to be me

Up, up and away, away from me

It's all right, you can all sleep sound tonight

I'm not crazy, or anything

I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naive

Girls weren't meant to ride

With clouds between their knees

I'm only a girl in a silly red sheet

Digging for kryptonite on this one way street

Only a girl in a funny red sheet

Looking for special things inside of me

Inside of me

Inside me

Yeah, inside me

Inside of me

I'm only a girl

In a funny red sheet

I'm only a girl

Looking for a dream

I'm only a girl

In a funny red sheet

And it's not easy

Its not easy to be me

 

.: Unwind & Embrace :.

It's been a emotionally tough day for me.

Unwinding to Sabrina's Accoustic Albums.

Until I can find my foot on the ground again, or at least my head back, I will be in this state. Prayerfully all will be well soon. And prayerfully I will embrace this change.