Shopping Before New Year

Wah....Queensbay was extremely PACKED yesterday, which was a Sunday. Suddenly, where did everybody come from? I didn't know that it would be so, so crowded and almost all the shops had at least more than 5 customers in it, even those expensive boutiques.

The people were definitely taking advantage of the sales that were going on. It's still going on anyway. I went because I wanted to get my eyes checked - time for new glasses and also to find out about optical goggles for swimming. I searched on the Internet and most people suggested using contact lenses but using contacts underwater is not safe. Even with goggles.

Then, luckily a helpful lady/optician from one of those eyewear shops told me that Jusco sells optical goggles. I was surprisedly happy! At least I don't have to wear lenses and I would not be blind as a bat while swimming. That's one problem solved.

So, it's New Year's Day tomorrow. A whole new year and a whole new you. Actually, I think I'll still feel like my old self. =) And I haven't made any New Year resolutions. I will make resolutions every now and then, not only for New Year's. I make the resolutions but it doesn't mean that I'll keep them! It takes discipline and willpower. =D

Okay. Wishing everybody a very Happy New Year 2008!!! Be good.

Changing Templates - Risky!

I just tried to change my blog's template. Unsuccessfully. I went to the BlogSkins.com website and just browsed around for some nice-looking, fresh template, perhaps with a few nice pictures of books or someone reading books, etc. Many of the blog skins there are very cartoonish, lovey-dovey, and nah, I'm not going to use them. I'm still looking for the RIGHT one! I don't really know what the right one is.

So, I just tried to experiment with one skin that looked okay. But, it didn't look okay when I've copied and pasted the HTML code in Blogger. The font was too small. I tried to change back to my old blogger template and somehow, everything went wrong! It happened the last time too. I know there's a way to restore my old Blogger template but forgot.

Anyway, after a few clicks here, a few clicks there and a few anxious heartbeats and the crossing of fingers, finally everything was okay again. Well, it's not the old template anymore now, I'm using the same template like my new bookshop's blog. Looks kinda nice. A dotty nice.

Oh, imagine if all was lost. I would have to retype the links, put up the ads again, etc...that will surely take up my precious time. Luckily all is fine. *lets out huge sigh*

The skins over at BlogSkins are nice and creative. I really like some of them but they are not suitable for this blog. There'll be a lot of adjustments to do if I were to use them. Maybe for the time being, I'll just stick with the usual Blogger templates. When I really have free time, which I don't quite know when, then I'll try to change to one of the skins from BlogSkins.

It Pays To Wait

Has this situation ever happened to you? Here goes:

One day, you were flipping through the newspaper or just surfing the Internet, and you found out that a particular thing that you have always wanted (book, blouse, CD, DVD, etc) is available at a store near you. Of course, you get excited. Then, the next logical thing to do is rush out to the store and buy it. You are afraid that the item will be out of stock if you were to wait a minute longer. Am I right?

Then, perhaps a month or so later, you flip through the newspaper or surf the Internet, and you see the item being advertised again. It's still available and its price has been reduced!

Oh, don't you just hate it??? I know how you feel. Because the other day, about a month ago, I saw that 'The Book Thief' was available at MPH Bookstores and since I came across numerous book reviews praising the book to bits, I thought that I had to read it for myself and see what the fuss is all about. So, I bought the book at RM42.90.

And today, only a few minutes ago, I decided to open MPH Online's website, I saw that the book's price has been reduced by 30%. See? If I had waited, I would only have to pay RM30.03! If I had waited, I would save around RM12! *cries loudly with huge tears flowing down*

Well, what's done is done. No use crying over spilt milk. But then, I didn't know that the price would be reduced. I didn't know that the book would be part of the sale. I didn't know the future. Enough said.

So, I guess you should check out the bookstores now to see if your favourite books cost less than the usual price. If not, it's up to you to wait or not to wait.

I Woke Up At 12 p.m.!

Well, almost 12 p.m. actually. =) I don't sleep like a pig you know though last time my friend used to say that I hibernate instead of sleeping normally.

Yesterday morning was my Spanish class and we learned the alphabet in Spanish. A is ah, B is bear, C is theh, CH is chair and so on. After that, we had to spell out our Spanish names in Spanish! We also learnt new Spanish words. Looks like we have to memorize them in case the teacher randomly calls us to translate the word!

After class, my friends and I went to a nearby shopping mall to look for stuff to make to sell for our Entrepreneurship class. Yeah, we have to sell things for almost a month and then see if we make a profit or not from our little 'business'.

We were out almost the whole day walking around, looking for our 'sources'. We couldn't find much unfortunately. Today, I'll look in some more shops.

Hola!

My second Spanish class was today! It was fun as we had to choose our Spanish names to use in class. Too bad the Spanish version of my name was already taken by someone else! So I had to choose another one.

It was really funny to see normal-looking people with new names like Marcella, Nikolas or Nicolas, Sergio, Alfonso, etc. We only encounter these names in all those telenovela shows on TV! The Marcella that I knew on TV (was she from Mis Tres Hermanas?) was sophisticated, snobbish, stylish and everything that the new Marcella in my class was not. I don't think I'm anything like my new name either!

But it's all for fun and for the sake of learning. That way, we got to know almost everyone in class. The teacher asked us to memorize everyone's new names and then she'll randomly call out somebody to tell out almost everyone's names! So, everybody quickly looked around and asked one another their new names. Now, that's an effective icebreaker.

Today's class was short. She just gave us some basic Spanish expressions and then we were dismissed. I'm so looking forward to the next class.

Blog For Money With Smorty!

Since there aren’t any more opportunities left for me at other blog advertising sites, I’m turning to Smorty.

Smorty? What does it mean? I don’t know either but I know that at Smorty, you get paid for blogging. It works like other blog advertising sites too and at least at Smorty, there are opportunities like this one for me! That little thing makes me happy.

Smorty connects bloggers with advertisers. You write what the advertisers want you to write and then you link back to the advertisers’ websites. Advertisers prefer to advertise on blogs. Then, you get paid for it! That’s the best part, isn’t it?

The dashboard at Smorty's site is pretty neat too. I just joined and yet I have over 150 points already. There's also a referral program if you're interested too. Smorty's here to stay, I tell ya.

So, if you want to blog for money, go to Smorty!

Have A Merry Christmas!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Where's Santa Clause? Did he bring you lots of presents? I hope he did.

Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Have you read any books lately? Or if you haven't, then have you compiled a list of books to read next year since New Year's just a few days away. Time to make some New Year resolutions, too. No matter if you can't stick to them. The important thing is that you've tried. Right?

It's sad that I have no classes only on Christmas Day, that is today. Tomorrow it's all back to normal....sad! Even if it's just one week holiday, I'm happy!

Well, what are you gonna do today? Besides opening presents! =D Whatever it is, enjoy!

Now there are werewolves?

In New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. First, it's only vampires and a really klutzy girl named Bella Swan who happens to be hopelessly in love with one particular 17-year-old vampire. Then, suddenly werewolves appeared.

It's quite a confusing story actually. I didn't really enjoy the writing in it. I felt there were some parts which were not necessary and no wonder the book is so darn thick! I bet the third book, Eclipse, will be even thicker.

Okay, one could feel sorry for Bella because (a) the love of her life left her and (b) she finds out that she's being hunted by a lady vampire. And she thought she was just an ordinary girl. So much for being ordinary when she has so many secrets.

Well, don't we all think the same? You never know. Maybe you think that the girl you always sit next to in class is a totally normal. Who knows? Maybe she's a plain Jane by day and superhero by night???

Secrets like the ones that Liz Parker from Roswell has to keep. It's not her secret to tell. Speaking of Roswell, I'm starting Season 2 already. Just watched 4 episodes. Nope. I'm not getting sick of Roswell yet.

Anyway, now I'm at the part where Bella just realized that one of her friends may be a werewolf. Could be a danger to everyone. This werewolf story reminded me of Harry Potter's Professor Lupin!

What are you getting for Christmas?

I mean what are you going to buy for family and friends for Christmas? I'm getting books for my nieces. Bought them from two online bookshops. I just hope that they'll like the books!

We really should take advantage of these year-end sales. That means no shopping for the first 10 months of the year and only start all shopping in November! Sounds almost impossible don't you think? Put shopping on hold for almost a year??? Ridiculous! Haha! Well, there's still the Merdeka sale.

Oh, I bought the paperback version of Shopaholic and Baby from MPH Online for only RM25! And delivery was fast! It's so much cheaper than the first version where it cost around RM60++. That was a great bargain, I'd say!

By the way, is everyone staying glued to the PayPerPost website? Almost all the opportunities were already grabbed up, so I'm like left with one miserable opportunity. Well, better than none!

Today is a public holiday, so no classes! There aren't any classes tomorrow too! Now that's fun.

Oh back to the main topic. So, what did you buy to give as Christmas presents? Books? Movies? Clothes? Whatever it is, I'm sure the receiver will be happy. It's the thought that counts, right?

Quite A Depressing Day

3rd day of school. How was it? Well, if you noticed the title of my post, then you can guess how it went. Just felt totally moody today. Maybe it's because I slept late last night - couldn't sleep cos I slept a lot in the afternoon.

This morning had a class. In this class, I didn't know anybody. So far, so good. I could just stay invisible and just listen to the lecturer. But no, she can't leave me alone. She had to ask us to get into groups. She gave us the 'opportunity' to choose our own group members. Aduh.......I was dying there.

It would be better if she chose for us, then I would not need to ask some group to take me in. Anyway, most of them already knew one another. So, this fella next to me was writing down the names of his group members and I noticed that there were only 3 names. The lecturer said we should have 4. So, I quickly asked him if I could join. He said okay. But, I was still feeling left out. They didn't even know how to pronounce my name!

Anyway, tonight's class was better. Again, we had to get into groups and the members in every group had to be of differnt gender, race, and course. So two of my friends and I had to scout around to look for 2 more members who are not Chinese, not a girl, and not from our school. In the end, we found 2 new members.

Today it's been a lot of 'group work' stuff for me. Ahh...I don't look forward to next Wednesday....

2nd day of the 2nd Semester

Yesterday and today weren't so stressful. That's because tutorial classes haven't started yet! That's why I'm still so free now. Well, tomorrow I have to wake up really early so I don't miss my first class of the day!

Today's class was okay. It wouldn't be okay if I were the girl who was sent out of the class. For good. There's this girl who signed up for my class but the lecturer said she's not allowed to take it this semester. The lecturer talked to her through the microphone so all of us heard everything. The poor girl. To be sent out of class and to be told to return the course sheet too! I won't be surprised if the girl wouldn't want to sign up for my class again. She can take my class but not this semester.

Well, I finished watching Season 1 of Roswell. That's good progress. And I'm still reading New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. Haven't reached the middle page yet.

Okay. Good night!

Books For The Challenge

You do know right that I'm joining the Young Adult Challenge right? It's being hosted by Joy.

It will start in January 2008 and will go on for the whole year of 2008. I'm supposed to read a young adult book a month. It sounds pretty easy, huh? There are currently 50 participants already! If you're interested in joining, just head on over to Joy's blog to check it all out. You know, read the 'rules' and all. It's all very easy, don't worry!

Well, here are some books that I plan to read for this upcoming challenge. My first challenge too!

1. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
2. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
6. In The Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
7. The Woman Who Rides Like A Man by Tamora Pierce
8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
9. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
10. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
11. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
    

I'm not really sure what one more book will be. I'll look around in the bookstores and see. But I'll most likely read the books listed above for this challenge. I'll update if there are any changes. Can't wait for 2008 to come!

Roswell Rocks!

I was so excited when I got my hands on the whole Season 1 to 3 DVDs of the Roswell TV show starring Jason Behr, Shiri Appleby, Majandra Delfino, Brendan Fehr, Katherine Heigl, Colin Hanks, and more. The show was on TV2 back when I was in secondary school, around the year 2002. I haven't watched it for so long that I don't remember the plot that well. I think that I've watched every episode. Maybe...

Well, now I can watch any episode anytime I want! Cool, huh? When I'm bored or lonely at my hostel, I can watch my Roswell. There are 17 DVDs altogether and each DVD contains 4 episodes. Now, I'm only watching DVD 5. 12 more to go! Yeah, the more the better!

Anyway, I just checked out Wikipedia about the Roswell High books for young adults. Max, Liz, Isabel, Michael, Maria are so different in the books! For example, in the books, Max Evans is blond! However, in the TV show, he's brooding brunette. And Liz in the book is of Spanish descent? Shiri Appleby doesn't look Spanish to me.

There are 10 books in the series but the TV show has 61 episodes! Wow!

Hmmm...but in Popular, I saw the Roswell books in a box set - 5 books altogether if I'm not mistaken. Ah! We'll see. Now, I just want to watch my Roswell DVDs! =D

More Books I Want To Read

I'm going to finish 'The Alchemist' soon and I don't have anymore books with me now. The rest are at home! So, I decided to just compile a list of books that I want to read later. These books I've come across in book reviews, book websites, book blogs, other book bloggers' reviews, auction sites, etc. Anyhow, they seem interesting and that's why they are on my list. I so enjoy making book lists! The longer, the better, don't you think.

So, the other day at MPH, or Borders, I don't remember, but this book, 'The Minister's Daughter' by Julie Hearn is definitely at MPH. It's quite cheap over there if compared to the one at Acmamall's site where it's sold at RM30.92. That's something else that I have to do too - check and compare prices! Something I hate to do but I ought to do. I'll feel bad if I had to pay more for a book when I could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere.

Anyway, I still have 2 more Shopaholic books to go. Yeah, I enjoy reading her books. Probably the only chick lits books I've read. I'm planning to read 'Shopaholic Ties The Knot' and Shopaholic and Baby' and 'Can You Keep A Secret?' and then I'll have read all of Sophie Kinsella's books! She writes captivatingly, that's why her books got me hooked.

I've been finding for 'Postcards From No Man's Land' by Aidan Chambers everywhere and finally found it on Acmamall. The cheapest edition costs RM30.92. Shipping would cost RM7.50! That's where the expensive part is.





Next up is Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer! Well, actually I haven't read 'New Moon' yet, sad to say. I left the book back home because it's quite heavy to carry while travelling. When I get back, I'll definitely read it.




Oh, another book would be Stardust by Neil Gaiman! The movie was fantastic! Then, there's Chocolat by Joanne Harris. I saw this book on eBay, but sadly I can't bid on it. Ah, never mind. Know what? Why not I sell off my books over here, right in my very own blog? We'll see how that goes.



All right, enough for now! More updates on what books I want to read later.

eBay Account Suspended!

Sad news for me. I got an e-mail from eBay saying that my account has been suspended. I've been an honest eBayer ever since I joined! All positive feedback! And I have to sent some reinstatement form along with a credit card statement bill or something. The thing is that I don't own a credit card! Ah, never mind. Looks like I'm not going to shop on eBay anymore. =(

Anyway, there are Borders and MPH and Popular! So, no worries. MPH Online is currently offering a lot of discounts. There are books sold at 30% discounts, so I guess you wouldn't want to miss it.

Since it's the holidays now, I can get more reading done! I've read A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, and A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks and I've diligently reviewed them all. Now, I'm reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Okay...no more eBay. No more browsing through those second-hand and few new brand new books again. Sigh...

Intriguing Italy!

Today we'll explore Italy, shall we? Ok, get ready then!

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear 'Italy'? Beautiful buildings, I hear? Yeah, that's what I think too. The Leaning Tower of Pisa? Did you know that it was closed to the public in 1990, fearing that it might eventually fall if there are too many people on it??? The official name for the leaning tower is TORRE PENDENTE DI PISA and its function is as a bell tower. Wow...I really have to go see it for real one day!

Well, what about Venice? The first thing that comes to mind is that Venice is full of water and gondolas! Oh, the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare comes to mind, too. My sis has the DVD but I haven't watched it yet.

What about St. Mark's Basilica? Okay, it's a monument in Venice and it's a tourist attraction but I don't know much about it. Let's do a search now.


St. Mark's Basilica

Okay, I guess it used to be a church then it was destroyed in a fire. And that's probably where St. Mark was buried.

Then, there's Rome...where the Pope is in the Vatican City. Oh, when you're in Rome, do as the Romans do, as the saying goes. =D

When you're in Rome, you might as well visit the Colosseum where gladiators once fought for fame and glory. It was built around 1920 years ago! Definitely historical.

Finally, Milan! Did I hear you shopping addicts squeal in delight??! Yup, besides London, Paris, Milan is also another place for high fashion and catwalks.

Anyway, Milan isn't all about shopping. History enthusiasts will enjoy visiting the Leonardo Da Vinci National Museum. The main attraction at the museum is the section dedicated to Leonardo as a scientist. To discover more of Leonardo Da Vinci, then visiting the museum would be a great start.

Okay then...don't want to keep you from enjoying Italy! Ciao!

Preservatives - Booking Through Thursday

Yesterday's (it's Friday today!) question:

Today’s question comes from Conspiracy-Girl:
I’m still relatively new to this meme so I’m not sure if this has been asked yet, but I’m curious how many of us write notes in our books. Are you a Footprint Leaver or a Preservationist?

What kind of books? If it's schoolbooks, then yes, I'll write a little bit here and there. Makes it easier for me when I'm doing my revision later.

However, if it's my precious story books, then NO WAY! I'll only write my name and the date I bought the book on the first page of the book. Other than that, I don't scribble or make any weird marks in them. Hah! I don't even dog-ear the pages.

Unfortunately, lately, I was shocked to find my brand new 'The Devil Wears Prada' book has some severe scribbles on a few pages. I suspect that my baby nephew is the culprit. He must have somehow acquired a pen and decided to take one of my books to write (scribbled actually!) his heart out. Probably the poor thing couldn't find any rough papers anywhere or nobody gave any to him, so my book's his victim. Hahaha!

In short, I'm definitely a preservationist. =)

***

Will start reading 'A Spot of Bother' by Mark Haddon tonight. Right after I watch Catwoman on TV3.

***

I'm still so happy my exams are over! Yeah!

Merdeka!!! Exams are over!

Muahahaha....I'm so happy! I'm so happy! My dreadful exams are finally over and I can do whatever I want! My last exam started this morning at 9 a.m. and it ends at 12 p.m.. I finished around 11.15 a.m. and I wanted to leave and celebrate earlier. But then I remembered that I had to get my assignment from my friend and I also had to collect my school's T-shirt...so I stayed in my seat and continued freezing in the air-cond. Why do they like to make the air-cond so strong? Like in Queensbay Mall too, where the air-cond is really cold. If you ever wanted to wear winter clothing, just go to Queensbay Mall. You can wear them there.

I can't believe my exams are over. Even now as I'm onlining, I keep thinking that I shouldn't go online too long cos I need to study or something. But then, I'll remember that exams are already over, so why study?

By the way, I ordered 'In The Hand of the Goddess' by Tamora Pierce from Acmamall and I only got the book on Wednesday but I ordered it, like, more than a week ago. It's quite long for a book to arrive, isn't it?

Recently, I bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from 1childrenbooks.com and it took only one day to arrive! Now, that's fast you know. Really fast.

Did you know I enjoy getting books by mail? Oh yeah, it's fun. The thrill of opening the parcel knowing that it's a book inside and wondering what it looks like, etc. Ah, you know the feeling if you've ever ordered something to be sent by mail.

I've also bought the complete set of Roswell DVD - The Complete First to Third season! I ordered online from VCDDVD88.com. Has anyone else bought from them before?

All right. Now I'm going to continue experimenting with different WordPress plugins!

eBay Malaysia - A Whole New Look!

Have you checked out eBay Malaysia lately? If you're curious, just check it out. Now, it looks like other countries' eBay pages. The colours, the layout, and there are extra features too. Too many, in my opinion.

Anyway, whatever the features are, eBay is one of my favourite online haunts because other people are selling stuff that they don't need at cheap prices. Especially books! Hey, some people buy new books from bookstores and they don't like them, what'll they do? They sell them at a cheaper price of course! So, not only will you be able to get the book that you want cheap, you'll also get a book that looks like new too. Now isn't that a great bargain?

That's what I'll do too. However, I don't have the heart to sell away most of my books. I'll somehow feel that each book is not worth selling because I may want to read it again. Also, now I only buy books that I'm sure I'll read over and over again. I'm only a poor, sad student so I can't spend too much money on story books. Perhaps when I become a millionaire later, I'll probably buy over Borders. =)

Incidentally, I'm reading The Best Little Girl In The World by Steven Levenkron now. The story is about a girl, Francesca or Kessa as she calls herself, who suffers from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder where the sufferer thinks she's fat and decides to lose weight in an unhealthy way.

I'm at Chapter 18 now, almost reaching the end of the book. Will put up a review soon so look out for it!

Horror Books! BTT #3

It's Thursday and I'm early!

What with yesterday being Halloween, and all . . . do you read horror? Stories of things that go bump in the night and keep you from sleeping?

I thought about asking you about whether you were participating in NaNoWriMo, but I asked that last year. Although . . . if you want to answer that one, too, please feel free to go ahead and do both, or either, your choice!

The most memorable horror book I ever read was Carrie by Stephen King! Trust me, it's full of horrors, that book. Gave me nightmares and I'm not just saying it. It's true. The movie was MUCH more scarier. I will never watch it alone.

Actually, I prefer to read horror books than to watch horror films. So, I don't really mind horror books that much.

Well, I don't really remember what other horror books I've read. When I was younger, to me, horror books were those of Fear Street and Goosebumps! I'd buy a couple of them and then for some rainy night with thunderstorms and lightning, then I'd settle down and read them. I wanted to feel the excitement or feeling of being scared!

Now to the next question: NaNoWriMo...no, I'm not joining it as I don't have the time to write so much, unfortunately. Perhaps next year?

What To Read For Halloween

If you're not out trick or treating this Halloween, why not sit down and read a really scary book to scare yourself out of your wits? I've done a little bit of research through Google and here are some links for you to choose what books to settle down with a cup of coffee and some chocolate cookies!

• The 10 Scariest Books to Read for Halloween
  
  
• Halloween Hauntings
  
  
• Great Reading For Halloween Time
  
  
• Ghostly Presence

Well, that's all then. Have fun reading!

Vote For Your Favourite Books At Cybils

Just a little quick update for today. I was merely blog hopping and found a blog called 'the cybils blog'. If you have recently read a good book that was published this year, 2007, you can nominate it in its respective category on cybils' blog. Be part of The Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary Awards (The Cybils 2007)! Nominations are open until 21 November 2007.

There are 8 book genres involved and they are Fantasy/Science Fiction, Fiction Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Fiction, Non-Fiction: Middle Grade and Young Adult, Non-Fiction Picture Books, Poetry, and Young Adult Fiction.

Remember, the books that you want to nominate have to be published in year 2007 and do nominate them in the right categories! If you are not sure, you can post your question in their comments section. Someone will most likely help you out with it.

By the way, I've added some extra stuff in my blog. Check out the ultra-cool FeedJit widget! I like knowing where my visitors come from and so far, FeedJit works for me.

I've also updated on my 'Shared Items' section. I've picked interesting posts from other blogs and you can read them when you click on a post's title in my Shared Items box.

In addition, I just found out that Blogger has a new add-on, which is the Polls widget. Do check out my poll (How often do you buy books?) on the left side of this blog and cast your vote! I'm curious to know how often other people buy or don't buy books. It'll only take a few seconds of your time to vote. =)

That's all for now. Have a pleasant day!

Read With Abandon? - BTT #2

I'm going to answer another question posted on Booking Through Thursday!

Today’s suggestion is from Cereal Box Reader

I would enjoy reading a meme about people’s abandoned books. The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?

It's quite rare for me to not finish reading a book because I don't know since when, I've vowed to try to read a book from beginning to end. No skipping pages, no jumping to the ending. But a few years ago, my sis gave me 'Diary of a Girl in Changi' for Christmas. It was a pretty dull book to me. I only read it halfway then I stopped. I thought I might read something else and I'd get back to that book soon. I never did. After 3 or 4 Christmases, I still haven't finished the book.

Another book that I skipped some pages was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I know, I know it's a classic! But, somehow it was too long-winded for me. I just wanted to go to the ending and finish the book so I could freshen myself up with another book.

I think there aren't anymore books that I never completed. Even if some books are really boring now, I'll still try to finish them even if it takes me weeks and months. I shouldn't give up!

The Alanna Book

Now that I think back, the first fantasy book I ever read was probably Alanna: The First Adventure. The RM12.90 hardcover book belongs to my sister. I think she brought it over one day for me to read. I don't remember how old I was but I know I was still in primary school so it's quite a long time ago.

When I finished the book, I loved it! I wondered if there were any other books written by Tamora Pierce but didn't bother to really find out. Last time, I had no computer, no Internet, and I didn't read newspapers. I have no idea what I did back then!

The most vivid memory is me playing with my neighbourhood friends at the field. Reading fantasy books wasn't a priority. But, I had lots of Enid Blyton books though. I thought I'll only read Enid Blyton books for as long as I live because I love her books so much! However, my sis did advise me to read a variety of books. I asked her why and she said it's better to read a variety. That's all, I did't ask anymore!

Anyway, after reading that book by Pierce, my sis took it back and I forgot all about it. At times, I did think about it but like I said, I did not take the initiative to find out more about it. During secondary school, I read mostly Sweet Valley, especially the Junior High books. I could only afford such books by the way. Books were a luxury to me. I preferred to spend my pocket money on food. =) Plus, I did not always visit bookshops.

But now, I'm so glad I found out more about the Alanna books! That book I read is the first book in The Song of the Lioness series. There are 4 books altogether in this series. Here they are in order:

1. Alanna: The First Adventure
2. In The Hand Of The Goddess
3. The Woman Who Rides Like A Man
4. Lioness Rampant

I couldn't find 'In the Hand of the Goddess' in Borders and MPH. I didn't check Popular though but it's ok, I found it on Acmamall! Yeah! So, I'll buy sometime soon. All 4 books are available at Acmamall. I'm disappointed that those books are out of stock on MPH Online. Hmm, Borders? I don't remember. I know they have Trickster's Choice and other books from her other series. If possible, I'll try to read as many books by her!

Wow, I just checked out Wikipedia - Tamora Pierce about Tamora Pierce's books. She wrote so many! I'll have to go on a Tamora Pierce marathon some day.

Exciting England!

I’ve always wanted to go to the United Kingdom. London buses, Buckingham Palace, Oxford University, etc! Guess what. I’ve dreamt of attending Oxford University before but since I’m not a genius or anything, that dream never really came true. Anyway, I can always go to England for a holiday or something. The main thing is: books!

Yes! If I ever find myself in the UK, I’ll definitely go to the big bookshops there. Places like Waterstones and Foyles. Oh yeah, those places are unquestionably at the top of my list of places to go when and if I’m in England.

Besides those bookshops, I’ll make sure that I stop by Notting Hill in London too. Uh huh, that movie starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. The Portobello Road Market sells books, furniture, clothes, food, etc. Well, I wouldn’t buy the furniture but I’ll check out the other smaller stuff that I can bring back home easily. London would be really exciting.


The Portobello Road Market


Now, what about going to Manchester too? The name should sound familiar to you if you have some knowledge in football. Yup. Manchester United. You guessed it right. But if you’re not the football type, you can always pay a visit to the Manchester Art Gallery at Mosley Street. The Imperial War Museum North would be another interesting place to go in Manchester. Admission is free!


Manchester United logo


Let’s go to Birmingham now. Hey, I didn’t know that it is considered the ‘second city of the United Kingdom’. The first city is London, of course! Oh, and check out St. Philip’s Cathedral too. Incredible, isn’t it?


St. Philip's Cathedral


Wow, the UK! Hold on there, I’m definitely flying off to this amazing place sometime in the future. See ya!

Young Adult Challenge 2008

Now, this challenge caught my eye and I decided to check it out. Guess what? It's quite a simple challenge where you're only required to read 12 Young Adult books in 2008 at your own pace! So, I guess it's suitable for me as my reading pattern now is not so regular due to assignments and other readings for my courses.

By the way, this YA challenge is hosted by Joy from "Thoughts of Joy...". Also, I haven't chosen yet what books I'll read next year.

Well, anyone else who's interested in signing up for this challenge? It's fun!

Booking Through Thursday #1

It may not be a Thursday today but it's still okay to do it today on a Tuesday! Plus this is my very first time participating in 'Booking Through Thursday'! This is an interesting question and I might just take some time to answer it.

Okay . . . picture this (really) worst-case scenario: It’s cold and raining, your boyfriend/girlfriend has just dumped you, you’ve just been fired, the pile of unpaid bills is sky-high, your beloved pet has recently died, and you think you’re coming down with a cold. All you want to do (other than hiding under the covers) is to curl up with a good book, something warm and comforting that will make you feel better.

What do you read?

(Any bets on how quickly somebody says the Bible or some other religious text? A good choice, to be sure, but to be honest, I was thinking more along the lines of fiction…. Unless I laid it on a little strong in the string of catastrophes? Maybe I should have just stuck to catching a cold on a rainy day….)

Man, that really sounds like a beyond awful day to me. It couldn't possibly get any worst! The only thing that I'd want to do is to eat and eat and eat all my favourite food. But if I had resorted to reading books, then the books that I'll probably choose are funny books that might make me laugh, if it's even possible.

Actually, I like it when it's cold and raining, especially at night. Rain during the day wouldn't be so nice because the clothes won't get dry. Anyway...reading indoors while rain is pouring down outdoors is totally blissful! I'd rather it rain at night, then it's nice.

There are so many kinds of books that I'll read. I will read books where the characters are in much more trouble or have more bad luck than me. Like that, I'll probably feel better. I may also read books with humour like 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by Mark Haddon. Or 'The True Story of Lilli Stubeck' by James Aldridge. I don't think I'll ever get bored of this superb book.

When I was younger, in my early teens, I would sometimes find comfort in my Sweet Valley Junior High books. Those books are easy to read and quite funny at times.

Well, it all depends on my mood. Sometimes I may have the mood for this book but sometimes it'll be that book. It depends.

Book Meme Time

I'm going to steal this book meme from Bibliolatry.

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why?

Paperbacks. Cheaper and lighter to hold.

2. If I were to own a book shop I would call it...

Maybe Books Love Me? Haha! I don't know. How would it sound? The Books Love Me Bookshop? Too long... Or perhaps The BLM Bookshop. Sounds like the BLT sandwich!

3. My favorite quote from a book (mention the title) is...

Erm...I'll get back to this question later.

4. The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be...

Enid Blyton! Charlotte Bronte.

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be...

Only one? Then, I'll really have to savour each and every page! I guess it has to be a thick classic book because it takes me a long time to finish them. Maybe Jane Eyre.

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that...

keeps dust off my books.

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of...

I like the new smell of books.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be...

Bella from Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse. You don't normally get to make friends with vampires.

9. The most overestimated book of all times is...

Overestimated book? What about Harry Potter?

10. I hate it when a book...

has missing pages!

There, done! Except for number 3, which I'll get back to it later. =D

Anyone else who would like to try out this book meme, do it! Then drop me a line, ok?

New Way of Taking Notes in Class

Gone are the old-fashioned way of taking notes in class, which is holding a pen and writing your notes down on paper. Now, students are taking out their cameras and snapping pictures of their notes in class.

In university, blackboards and whiteboards are rarely used. The projector and transparency screens are used most of the time now because it's quick and easy although it wastes electricity.

However, in my Tamadun Islam dan Tamadun Asia classes, some students can be seen clicking their digital cameras away. For one thing, it's quite effective because some lecturers don't give you much time to copy everything down. So, taking photos of your notes is one way to make sure that you can have everything taken down!

Effective but waste of camera battery and electricity!

Buka puasa stalls and food

It’s that time of the year again where there are numerous Raya stalls springing up everywhere, including outside of my university hostel! The hawkers have begun setting up their stalls around 5 p.m. and I’m not sure what time they close. But when I checked around 10 p.m. something, there wasn’t a stall in sight! They must have gone home to continue ‘buka puasa’.

Anyway, yesterday I bought some food from them for the first time. Beef kebab, murtabak ayam, leng chi kang and some jellies. That’s a lot of food for one person, huh? Well, never mind. For me, it means only one thing. Party time!!!

It’s true; I can be a glutton at times but this only happens once in a while. I don’t always stuff myself with food. Ah, I like to stuff myself with books. Story books. ;D

Well, the summary. The beef kebab was okay. I first tasted kebab when I was in Form 5 and I’ve never tasted the same kebab again. The kebab I ate in Form 5 was absolutely delicious!

The murtabak ayam came with the pink-coloured onions. The murtabak was just fine, too. When I bought from them, it was already cooked long ago so it wasn’t hot or even warm anymore.

Next up: the jellies. I love jellies but not these jellies. My favourite jelly has always been the regular dark pink, syrup-flavoured jelly that you can usually find at Malay stalls. Anyway, I bought three kinds of jellies. All were multi-coloured and had ‘nata de cocos’ in them. I like ‘nata de cocos’, if that’s the right term for those quite solid cubic jellies.

The ‘best’ one was the leng chi kang. I’ll never buy leng chi kang from that stall ever again. Yeah, sure it had all the jellies and fungus and those small frog eggs in it. I still don’t know the right name for that. I’ll find out later.

And all that was my dinner yesterday. Tomorrow I’ll buy other types of food from other stalls. It won’t hurt to try. =D

Save The Turtles!

Marina Kuperman has been living in Costa Rica for almost five years. After visiting the Playa Grande’s Leatherback Turtle National Marine Park and seeing this critically endangered animal, she became so moved that she not only wrote the book Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat but also founded the online community for kids, teens and their parents to take action in a fun way to help marine preservation.

What is ‘Turtle Feet, Surfer’s Beat’ about?
My book revolves around a typical suburban teen girl, Penelope, from the States that is forced to go to Costa Rica with her parents for her father’s job assignment. Involuntarily, her parents sign up Penelope to spend two weeks at the Leatherback turtle biological station (for ‘her own good’). Penelope, obviously isn’t pleased but forgives the horrid accommodations and the never-ending bug brigade as she sees the turtle and instantly pledges to do all she can to help it from extinction. But hang ten, dudes! Penelope is about to get help. One lonely night, as she’s patrolling the beach for turtle poachers she stumbles and falls directly into the arms of the local surf champ. Together they dive into the world of surfing and marine preservation.

Your website www.turtlefeetsurfersbeat.com is more directed at a community setting rather than focusing directly on the book, why is that?
I figure, a good read helps to get us all hyped-up to take action and make a difference, especially if it’s for a good cause. And that’s exactly what my book intends to do. Since, we are all in the know about the conditions of our oceans, and really wanna do something to start making a difference. Plus, we also know that everything is so much more fun to do when you’re having a blast at it with friends. So, that’s exactly what www.turtlefeetsurfersbeat.com is all about. It’s not your typical site of more information thrown at you, but rather a way to get involved and join forces with your favourite surfers, musicians, artists, conservationists, and other cool people already taking action.

Don't Wanna Sneeze! Achooo!

I've got the flu! I've got the flu!

NO, I'm certainly not happy about it, it's obvious! How did I get the flu? I have no idea. This morning, in class, while writing notes, I was busy wiping my nose away. Disgusting, yeah, but I can't help it. I had to go to class like a good girl on a Monday morning. Even though my nose was behaving like a waterfall.

Then, I got home and continued sneezing. I can't count the number of times my heart stopped to give way to my sneezes. It is terrible. I hate getting the flu.

Well, I bought Scott's Emulsion Orange Flavour and will take 3 spoonfuls a day after every meal and at the same time hoping that my flu will miraculously go away. I have more classes to attend tomorrow!

I'm still reading Holes by Louis Sachar. If I set my mind to it, I can finish it today because I'm halfway through the book. Most unfortunately, I'm busy sneezing so I don't think I'll get much reading done. And I have one more assignment to complete. Yes, only one assignment left for me. My friends have two more! But, after the assignment, it's time to get ready for my exams, which will most likely begin at the end of next month.

All right. See ya then.

Missing Pages!

I bet you've gone through this before, where you borrowed a book or two from the library and one of them have some pages missing! Yeah, that's just what happened to me. I borrowed a book related to my class and was saddened to find that the pages jumped from page 14 to page 29! Looks like I've got to borrow another of the same book again.

Why do these people tear pages off the book? It does not even belong to them in the very first place. Some people don't even return the book, which is terrible. Well, at least if you borrow a book, please bear in mind to NOT tear out pages that you like. Photocopy them! That should be the way, isn't it?

By the way, last night, I installed more plugins from WordPress for my book blog, Books Love Me! One of them is inserting our signatures at the end of each post, which is so nice.

However, I can't seem to get rid of the black border around my signature and it's placed in the centre. I have to do a few things(not sure what!) to remove the border and also to place it at the left hand side. Anyone willing to help? Thanks in advance!

How Many Books Do You Own? Do you even count???

I feel like doing a meme about books now and searched through my favourite search engine, Google! And this came out.

Total number of books owned:

Nah, I don't bother to count. I'd like more books but too bad, space is limited, you see, so it's hard to keep a lot of books. And those that I don't like, I try to get rid of them!

Last book bought:

Holes by Louis Sachar (Paperback)! I saw half of the movie on TV3 a few weeks ago and I sort of remembered that Holes is a must-read book. There were two versions in Borders. One was a hardback and cost RM60++, which I'll not pay for a book! And since there was a cheaper paperback version, only RM27.90, I grabbed it.

Last book read:

Doing It by Melvin Burgess.

Five books that mean a lot to you:

1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2) The True Story of Lilli Stubeck by James Aldridge
3) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
4) Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
5) Roots by Alex Haley

Tag five people to continue this meme:

1) nylusmilk from The Literary Pursuit
2) Becky from Becky's Book Reviews
3) Erlynda from advent child
4) Princess Shin from Cherry, Plum, Peach and Damson blossoms
5) zeek from The Way I See It

New Look For Booksloveme.com!

Yup, it's a whole new look. Just changed the theme because I found another site using my usual theme. So, I happened to find this nice, new one and decided to take the plunge and changed it!

Oh, I'm not without problems anyway. After upgrading my WordPress version and installing the new theme, now all the apostrophes(') are gone. They've been replaced by mindless characters. For example:

This is the second time I’m reading something by Noel Streatfeild. The story starts with Harriet Johnson who’s not feeling very well and doesn’t look very well either. She’s nearly ten years old but she doesn’t have the energy and vivacity of normal ten-year-old kids.

And now, I suppose I have to edit EVERY single one of my posts! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! How long will that take, huh? It seems like forever to me. If there's another way, I'll gladly try it. As long as it's easier and faster!

Have You Read Them?

I was blog-hopping and came to Chasing Ray - Everybody's Favourite Coming-of-age Novels, Including Many You May Not Have Heard Of. Some award thing was going on and a few lists of books have been put up. They are the winners, I guess. Check out the ones that you've read and hunt for those which you haven't yet!

Books Girls Will Identify With Strongly

Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver (death)
The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti (death)
Swollen by Melissa Lion (death)
Upstream by Melissa Lion (death)
Define Normal by Julie Ann Peters
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss (problem)
Born Confused by Tanja Desai Hidier (multicultural)
Figuring Out Frances by Gina Willner-Pardo
A Room on Lorelei St by Mary Pearson (problem) MULTIPLE VOTES
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (death)
Pursuit of Happiness by Tara Altebrando (death)
The True Meaning of Cleavage by Mariah Fredericks
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (problem) MULTIPLE VOTES
Stained by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
So B It by Sarah Weeks
An Egg on 3 Sticks by Jackie Fischer (death)
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (multicultural)
The Alison Rules by Catherine Clark (death)
The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson (death)
Nothing But the Truth and a Few White Lies by Justina Chen Headley (multicultural) MULTIPLE VOTES
Camilla by Madeline L'Engle
Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock
Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins (multicultural)
Not So Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen by Mitali Perkins (multicultural)
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L'Engle (death) MULTIPLE VOTES
Good Girls by Laura Ruby
Zazoo by Robert Mosher (multicultural) MULTIPLE VOTES
Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci
The Queen of Cool by Cecil Castellucci
Beige by Cecil Castellucci MULTIPLE VOTES
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (problem)
A Brief Chapter In My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt (death)
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (death)
The Keeping Days series by Norma Johnston
Kalpana's Dream by Judith Clarke (multicultural)
The Geography of Girlhood by Kirsten Smith
Make Lemonade by Virginia Wolff
Celine by Brock Cole

Books Boys Will Identify With Strongly

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
The Blue Helmet by William Bell (death) (Released only in Canada)
Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers (multicultural) (death)
King Dork by Frank Portman
Nothing But the Truth by Avi
Tyrell by Coe Booth (multicultural) (problem)
Funny Little Monkey by Andrew Auseon
Theories of Relativity by Barbara Haworth-Attard (problem)
What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Pum-Ucci (death)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky MULTIPLE VOTES
Hatchett by Gary Paulson
The Knights of Hill Country by Tim Tharp
Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings (death)
The Maze by Will Hobbs
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Jude by Kate Morgenroth (death)
Pool Boy by Michael Simmons
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher (multicultural)
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher (problem)
Megiddo's Shadow by Arthur Slade (death)
Amaryllis by Craig Crist Evans (death)

Boys & Girls Will Relate Equally

Shadow of a Hero by Peter Dickinson
Friction by ER Frank
Homecoming by Cynthia Voight (death)
Just Like That by Marsha Qualey (death)
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Toll Bridge by Aidan Chambers
(Also all books in the Dance sextet by Aidan Chambers)
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli MULTIPLE VOTES
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
The Lottery by Beth Goobie (death)
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (problem)
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Giver by Lois Lowery
Bridge to Teribithia by Katherine Paterson (death)
Kimchi & Calamari by Rose Kent (multicultural)
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes (death)
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotsen
A Thief in the House of Memory by Tim Wynne Jones
Catalogue of the Universe by Margaret Mahy
Side Effects by Amy Koss (problem)
All of the Above by Shelly Pearsall (multicultural)
London Calling by Edward Bloor (death)
Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas

Books GLBT YAs Will Identify With Strongly

The Geography Club by Brent Hartinger (and sequels) MULTIPLE VOTES
Baby Be Bop by Francisca Lia Block
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson MULTIPLE VOTES
Luna by Julie Ann Peters
Far From Xanadu by Julie Ann Peters
Keeping You a Secret by Julie Ann Peters
Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan MULTIPLE VOTES
Wide Awake by David Levithan MULTIPLE VOTES
Dramarama by E. Lockhart
My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
The Realm of Possibilities by David Levithan
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
Totally Joe by James Howe MULTIPLE VOTES
M or F? by Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tibbetts
In the Garage by Alma Fullerton
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters
Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle
The Hookup Artist by Tucker Shaw
So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
What's in a Name by Ellen Wittlinger

Mysteries/Thrillers That Include Characters Coming-of-Age

The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin
As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Classics (Published before 1970)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith MULTIPLE VOTES
The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Just Above My Head by James Baldwin
The Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (death) MULTIPLE VOTES
Christy by Catherine Marshall
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
White Boots by Noel Streatfield
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury MULTIPLE VOTES
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh MULTIPLE VOTES
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by EL Konigsberg MULTIPLE VOTES
The Outsiders by SE Hinton MULTIPLE VOTES
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Grass Harp by Truman Capote

Graphic Novels

The PLAIN Janes by Cecil Castellucci
Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Black Hole by Charles Burn
Blankets by Craig Thompson

Science Fiction & Fantasy

The Bartimeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud MULTIPLE VOTES
Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman MULTIPLE VOTES
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer MULTIPLE VOTES
City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
Warriors series by Erin Hunter MULTIPLE VOTES
Siberia by Ann Halam
Valiant by Holly Black
Cats of Seroster by Robert Westall
Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Attolia books by Megan Whalen MULTIPLE VOTES
The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander MULTIPLE VOTES
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana wynne Jones
Fire & Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones MULTIPLE VOTES
The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Bulter (multicultural)
Corbenic by Catherine Fisher
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
Magic or Madness trilogy by Justine Larbalestier (multicultural)
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (death)
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Beginning Place by Ursula K. LeGuin
House of Stairs by William Sleator

Adult Books With Coming-Of-Age Themes
(These were originally published for adult readers but many have been republished for YA readers now as well.)

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee (death)
A King Must Die by Mary Renault (also SFF)
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (also SFF)
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (multicultural) (death)
Boys Life by Robert McCammon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene (multicultural)
The Girl I Wanted to Be by Sarah Grace McCandless
The Small Rain by Madeline L'Engle
Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn (death)
A Girl Like Che Guevera by Teresa de Caridad Doval (multicultural)

I've never heard of, like, 85% of the total of books listed above! Shows how little-read I am.

Reading a real book or from a screen?

Thanks to technology, now we can read our favourite books or classics from the computer. All we need to do is download and save the file and when we want to read it, we just switch on the computer and read it! With such e-books, we can keep as many e-books as we want in our computers or PDAs(I think) without taking up too much space in the house. Oh yes, e-books do help keep the house less cluttered.

But, for me, I don't really like e-books. I prefer to hold the real book in my hands when I'm reading. Wouldn't it be strainful to the eyes if we kept staring at the screen for hours? It can be tiring just staring and reading real books for a long time.

I don't mind if there are many books at home. I don't mind if they take up too much space. I'll just have to find more space for them then! With a real book, I can relax on the couch to read it. I can't curl up if I were to read from a computer.

Take your pick. The e-book or the real book?

The Ultimate Teen Book Guide - Very Ultimate!

Yesterday, while browsing through the bookshelves of Borders bookstore, I came upon a very interesting book, which caught my eye. Well, I simply plucked it out like I always did with most books. Wow, when I opened it, I was mesmerized. I love the book!

It's called The Ultimate Teen Book Guide, edited by Daniel Hahn, Leonie Flynn, and Susan Reuben. It has 448 pages filled with cool book reviews. Then, there are different categories of books, too, so the reader can find his/her way around the book easily. It's priced at a hefty RM85.95. I might buy it later when I have extra cash or when I strike the lottery.

This book is a guide for those blur teens who don't know what to read next or don't know which book to read. How would you know if it's an interesting book or not? What's the story about? Well, the book has reviews of over 700 cool books. And some of the reviewers include Meg Cabot, Jean Ure, Melvin Burgess, Anthony Horowitz and many more! Now, you know what your favourite authors love to read!

The BookFair's Been Extended!

Good news for everybody! Or for people who simply love to buy books… =)

If you still don’t know, then now you’ll know that the Popular Mega Bookfair will be extended to 02 September 2007! It is deemed the largest bookfair in the Northern Region.

I totally forgot about this fair last week! Can you believe it? I blogged all about it the week before last and I did not even remember that it’s even happening. Oh, I’m such a forgetful person.

However, now I remember. Yes! And I hope that I’ll be able to join in the fun in buying books at discounted prices until the 2nd of September. Oh, it’s held at Midlands Park Shopping Centre. Hmm, it’s not extended at Megamal Pinang, I guess.

Simply Irresponsible

In the university library, there are computers available for students to use to search for books. There aren't many but there are enough, I think. They should only be used for searching books in the library anyway, so going online to send and check e-mail with them is totally out of the question. There's the Internet room anyway but it's usually full, too.

However, what do students care? Somehow, they managed to log on to blogger.com and other websites with the library search computer. No wonder I see some students sit so comfortably in front of it. When I want to search for books and I want to use a computer, I get frustrated when the computers that are available are not working! I move the mouse and click, click on the screen but nothing happens. The page is totally stagnant. Somebody must have caused the computer to hang. Then, when I check on what the other computer users are doing, they don't look like they're searching for books. Some are chatting with their friends or doing something else, don't know what.

There was even a girl who sat with her legs crossed or folded or whatever on the chair! She's getting really comfortable lah. Is it going to take her that long to search for a book or two? What about other students who want to use the computer, too?

You know, they should limit one person to a computer for only 10 minutes. Yes, TEN! SEPULUH! It's enough for a student to search for a book or two right? If they can't find the book, they can always come back to the computer and search again. A student can only borrow 4 books at a time anyway. I don't think they need more than ten minutes to search.

Time To Pronounce Words The Right Way

I get annoyed when I hear some people pronounce some words wrongly. When I tell them the right way, some will change the way they pronounce while some.....are still adamant of pronouncing their own way!

Well, if you want to sound intelligent, here's a website dictionary, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, that you can go to to get your pronunciations right. No, this is not a sponsored post. I'm recommending this site because I think it's good. For you and also for me.

First, type any word you want in the box available. Then, click on 'Dictionary'. You'll get the meaning of your word and if you want to hear the way it's pronounced, click on the red speaker-phone icon. A box will pop out and then, you'll hear the right pronunciation of the word! Click 'hear it again' to listen to it as many times you want.

There, you're on your way to pronouncing every word right! Have fun!

Questions For Book Bloggers

I found this meme at Becky's Book Reviews and it seems easy, so why not do it?

What are you reading right now?

Nothing at the moment. Just finished Shopaholic Abroad and taking a break. Maybe I should get started on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?

I would like to read New Moon after HP and the Half-Blood Prince.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?

Magazines in the bathroom. I don't keep mags in there! But the only mag I have now is Cleo.

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?

Erm, my school textbooks? So that I'd be prepared before an exam and no answer in a silly way!

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?

Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?

The only library I go to now is my uni's library and no, they don't know my first name. They'll only when I hand them my student card while borrowing books.

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?

It happened a few times. Not only one book but a few.

Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving?

Sometimes I'll read while munching on some junk food. What's the use of reading and watching TV at the same time. I'll always switch off the TV for complete silence so I can concentrate on my book. And yeah, the radio will be on. Reading while driving? That's totally ridiculous!

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?

Hmm, I don't remember. I think they never teased me about that.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer!

Back to earn money!

Yes, I'm back doing paid posts for PayPerPost and Blogsvertise. I haven't been very active in Blogsvertise and I'm lucky they didn't suspend my account! They sent out emails to all members warning them to either accept or decline blog offers. If we didn't take the trouble to visit the website to accept or decline the offers, then we might have our accounts suspended!

Well, it's a Saturday night and there's Smallville on StarWorld but I'd rather be blogging now! No more money already lah.... University isn't cheap. And I want to practise writing, too. Haven't written much for months already. So, now it's a good time.

I have a stack of new books waiting to be read, too. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (oh yeah, not Deathly Hallows, see how outdated I am?), I Capture The Castle, A Walk To Remember, Devil Wears Prada, New Moon, and many more! I borrowed a book from the library, I forgot the title. I'll check it out now. Ok, the title is 'Derik's Bane'. It's supposed to be a funny book, so I'm prepared to laugh like crazy.

How Does Your Home Library Look Like?

Whoa, just check out other people's libraries from this blog, that is Your home library. If you are very proud of your big/small collection of books, why not take a good picture of it and send to Kimbooktu, whose idea it was to collect pictures of home libraries from all over the world.

I would love to send in a pic of my own little library but compared to the others, it's quite pathetic! Haha! There is one guy who claimed to have owned 3000 over books and he's been buying 500 books a year since 2004!

Wow...if I were to buy around 500 books a year, it means that I'll be buying around 41 books a month. If I were to buy 41 books a month, I wouldn't be able to finish reading all of them in a month anyway. And let's say a book costs around RM20 (most books now cost around RM30++ but I'm using RM20 as an average), then I'll be spending almost RM820 per month only on books.

Huh! No money lah like that! I love books but I can't be spending almost a thousand ringgit on books alone. Unless I'm a millionaire, then it'd be absolutely not a problem at all!

Hmm...my library isn't that bad actually. In fact, there's no more room for my new books on my bookshelf. That's why I keep the new books on my study table temporarily before I find a comfortable place for them. My shelf is full of Enid Blytons, Sweet Valley Junior Highs (can't bear to sell them off), a number of illustrated classic books my sis gave me one Christmas, and various other titles.

So, it's not that bad, huh?

Truthfully, I was in total awe when I saw the pictures of the submitters' libraries. I've always dreamt of owning tall bookshelves filled with all my books. If possible, I'd want the library in the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. The library in the Beast/prince's castle. Haha! It may only be a cartoon but it's a pretty impressive-looking library. Shelves covering all the walls of the room.

If you don't want to submit a picture to the 'Your home library' blog, why not tell me how your home library looks like? I'd like to hear all about it! Even if it's only one or two rows, I don't mind. It's YOUR library. Be proud of it.

The Popular Mega Bookfair-North...Starting Tomorrow!

Cool! Another book fair for all bookworms to enjoy and take advantage of. The last book fair I went to was in Kuala Lumpur at the KL Convention Centre, where the BookFest was held. And the discounts were great! I like Popular because, well, of the discounts. Most bestsellers are usually given 20% discounts off every now and then for Popular card members.

All the same, this Bookfair will be held concurrently (the word used in The Star) at Midlands One-Stop Centre, Level 5 and Megamal Pinang (Level 2, above Pacific). It will go on until August 26, 2007. The longer, the better. It'll be open from 11.00 a.m. until 10.00 p.m..

Oh, it's the largest bookfair in the Northern region. Not bad.

So...sleep early tonight. There's going to be a big day(s) ahead. Have fun choosing your favourite titles and tell me what you bought, ok? =D

Members' Merdeka Sale at MPH

I received a postcard from MPH who's promoting their Members' Merdeka Sale. The sale starts from 1 Aug 2007 till 5 Aug 2007. (1-5 Aug '07)

Discounts up to 20%.

Exclusively for MPH Readers' Circle & MPH Kidz Club members.

15%* discount on all books and 10%* discount on CDs, cassettes, stationery, cards, and gifts.
20%* discount on all M014 and M028 titles.

*except items already on offer or promotion, value buys, agent controlled items, newspapers and magazines.

Sale open to MRC, MKC and MIM members only!

Words in italic are printed on the MPH postcard.

Blogging TIPS meme

All right! Here's another meme lined up for me (and for you, too!). If you find it simply enticing and you simply have to do it, then hesitate no more. Jump on the bandwagon now!

Chris from book-a-rama tagged me anyway. Let's see how it goes!

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START HERE:

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag 10 other people. Link love some friends!

Just think- if 10 people start this, the 10 people pass it onto another 10 people, you have 100 links already!

1. Look, read, and learn. **-http://www.neonscent.com/

2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. ***-http://www.bushmackel.com/

3. Don’t let money change ya! *-http://www.therandomforest.info/

4. Always reply to your comments. ******-http://chattiekat.com/

5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. ***http://chipsquips.com/

6. Don’t give up - persistence is fertile. **-http://www.velcro-city.co.uk/

7. Give link credit where credit is due. *****-http://www.sfsignal.com/

8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post.**-http://scifichick.com/

9. Visit all the bloggers that leave comments for you - it's nice to know who is reading! -http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/ **

10. Make a blogger template unique: change the background colour, or add a background picture to your header. http://chris-book-a-rama.blogspot.com/

11. Ensure font size of words is not too small and colour of words don't drown in background. - http://booksloveme.blogspot.com/

END HERE

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Now for the next few victims:

1. kittycat from A Pregnant Pause
2. erlynda from __advent child__
3. Princess Shin from -Cherry, Plum, Peach and Damson blossoms-
4. Zeek from The Way I See It
5. Eric from Comtech
6. Becky from Becky's Book Reviews
7. bookgirl from bookgirl's nightstand

Okay, I don't have ten people but seven is just fine!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows at only RM69.90? Unbelievable!

Today is the 21st of July. Today is the day all die-hard fans of Harry Potter are waiting for. I only managed to read yesterday's Star newspaper and was mesmerized with Carrefour's, and Tesco's advertisements on the latest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book.

It'll only be sold at RM69.90! The retail price is RM109.90. Check out the big difference! Since I'm only writing about it now, I wonder if there are still any books left at those supermarkets! Wish I could write about it earlier so those who are unaware might have known about it.

I won't buy the book now. At the moment, my spending is more focused on textbooks for my courses. I might only buy the book many months later when the price would drop. Nah, I'm not that excited to read the book NOW. I've not even read Half-Blood Prince yet!

Anyway, guess what? There are some interesting old movies at my uni's library! Now, I can watch movies in uni, too. I don't know where the TV room is and I'm not so bothered to find out. I suspect I'll have to fight with others to watch the channels I want! I spotted the movie 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and was eager to watch it. I asked the man in charge if I could watch another show, he said I could watch as many as I want! Now, isn't that nice??

The poor international students!

Whoa! I'm quite sick of travelling around almost everyday in uni. And my class hours are scattered throughout the day. Now, I miss my old school days where learning in classrooms only takes place from around 8 am to 1 or 2 pm, and then it's home sweet home after that. I still have lots of time for homework and studying when I come home from school.

Plus when we're in school, we don't have to travel around to get to classes unlike in university. I feel it's quite a waste of time travelling to classes. Waiting for the bus, then rushing to get on it first...and my hostel is at the other end of the world!

Yeah, yeah...I know I should not complain. I should be grateful that I'm even there in the first place. Like what some people would say, I should adapt myself to the new environment. Well, new to me anyway.

So far, classes were okay. Lecturers could speak in understandable English and sometimes, they'll teach in Bahasa Malaysia. One of my friends was not so fortunate to get a lecturer who taught in English. He taught in BM and there are INTERNATIONAL students in class who don't understand the language.

What she told me was very funny. The lecturer would teach mostly in Malay and sometimes throwing in some English words, too. Luckily, the notes on the screen are in English although the grammar is wrong!

Let's say he's talking about the environment. He asked, "Adakah kamu gunakan air untuk bathing?"

Then, "Adakah kamu gunakan air untuk cooking?"

That's his way of teaching in English, too???

If you were an international student in his class without any knowledge of Bahasa Malaysia, all you would understand is..."Blah blah blah bathing?" and "Blah blah blah cooking?"

When class was over, he would then say, "International students, untuk mengetahui masa tutorial, sila jumpa saya di bilik one-oh-one (101)."

The poor international students would then only understand 'International students', 'tutorial', and '101'!!! They would certainly get the wrong message! They would think that international students would have their tutorial classes at either room 101 or at 1.01 p.m.. Well, see how they received the message!

What in the world is the lecturer thinking??? He could at least have said this in plain English, couldn't he? You know, the stories get funnier each day.

This is what they have to go through in almost all their classes. I thought the universities were supposed to teach almost everything in English? What happened? And the course that the international students were in was not even a Bahasa Malaysia course.

Homework and Speeches!

Had my first classes for each course that I took up this week. And yeah, lots of homework/assignments, too. I think I can still call them homework, right? Assignments may sound more sophisticated but it's still homework to me.

I've visited both the libraries in my university's campus already and borrowed two books from each! We students or undergraduates(???) are allowed to borrow only 4 books for 14 days. Well, I borrowed two books for my course and two Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic books! Now I don't need to buy them anymore! Saved me about RM60++.

And to go online, I have to sit a couple of buses to get to the library. Plus there's no WiFi in my hostel! There's some garden outside with Wifi available though. Those with laptops can enjoy surfing the Net in the bright sunshine outside. Haha! If it's raining, then they can feast their eyes on sparkly droplets of rain while going online at the same time. Whatever lah...at least they don't have to sweat or rush for the buses just to go online. =(

Oh, about 2 nights ago, we had the chance to hear a speech from ex-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who was in Kuala Lumpur. It's got something to do with our country's 50th Merdeka. 6 universities participated in this momentous event and a student from each uni can ask His Excellency, Kofi Annan, a question. They were supposed to ask questions but they were blabbing for a long time before finally asking the question. When they were done talking, I still don't know what their questions were.

Poor Kofi Annan! I guess he had to listen hard and concentrate on what the students were saying. I even suspected that the questions are not even their own questions in the first place! Maybe somebody else wrote the question and they picked a student with a good voice to ask it. So far, the best question-asker is from Universiti Malaya. She's the only one who asked a question without referring to a piece of paper.

And during his speech, most of the students in the Dewan did not pay attention or even bothered to listen! And the VIPs in KL could see us! It was so obvious that majority of the people present were busy talking and laughing with their friends. One of my friends was very excited to be able to see Kofi Annan live on the screen. Some people don't even know who Kofi Annan is!

It was quite a memorable night. I wondered if we appeared on TV since it seems like such an important event. Our Prime Minister and other political leaders were there.

Incidentally, no updates on books or book reviews for the moment. But I'm reading Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella now. The books I'm supposed to read for my courses are somewhat thick and full of words! If I were to read all the suggested books for reference, I would not have time to eat, sleep, or do anything else.

Anyway, will try to post a book review soon. University is taking up most of my time.

Blogging from the Library!

Hey there people, I'm currently blogging from the university's library! Supposed to have class this morning but it was cancelled as the lecturer was stuck in some traffic jam or something. Sigh....I woke up around 7 am so I would not be late for class but in the end, the lecturer herself was late. I then decided to visit the library!

It's huge! There are two libraries here and I don't really know where the other one is. Gotta find out later. Even in this library, things seem quite complicated. Lots of things to find out about. Lots of places I should know of.

I'm only allowed to go online for 30 minutes. Sad, right? Haha! Well, they probably didn't want to make us Internet addicts, which is kind of good or we would be stuck in front of the computer all day and all night long, abandoning our assignments and other homework.

By the way, I bought 'The Prisoner of Zenda' yesterday at Popular, Gurney Plaza. I've read Prisoner of Zenda when I was in Form 3 for English. That was the abridged version. I hope I'll have the time to read books now.

Okay then, I'm going to explore the library. People were staring as I was walking here and there, pretending to be interested in everything when actually I was finding my way around! Haha! Never mind, the other first-years are as blur and lost as I am. A few seniors were very helpful, too.

I guess my half hour is up. Had better be off now!

Too Busy To Blog!

Hello...hello...this is the first time in almost a week that I have the opportunity to blog. My first week of orientation was super busy and I couldn't even find out where to buy newspapers. So, I did not read newspapers or any book for a week! Therefore, no book reviews for a while!

Anyway, I met lots of great people in university. Unfortunately, most of them speak a lot of Mandarin but they spoke in English with me. My new friends come from different places so it's pretty interesting. I'm still getting to know my coursemates. In fact, I'm getting to know about everything there! My friends and I kept losing our way during the first few days but now, we are more familiar with the roads.

I'm interested in learning a new language in university. I was initially hoping to learn French but couldn't sign up for it because the classes clashed with my English class. And the lecturer teaching French might be a little annoyed at me as I was not really prepared when I went to register. She was very cool with me when I went to her for the 3rd time to drop the Spanish course I registered when I went to see her for the 2nd time. Nah, I'm not so interested in learning French now. Not from her anyway!

So many things to do and learn in university. A friend and I felt that 3 years would not be enough if we wanted to do everything offered there. However, I'll try to do as much as possible while there's still time!

Coming Nearer and Nearer!

I've got to go to school AGAIN to get more of my certificates' copies certified! I didn't know that I had to photocopy my other certs like leaving school ones, activity certs, competition certs, etc. My classmate even got her parents' birth certs certified! I mean, that's a little too much right??? Haha! I hope my parents' birth certs aren't needed cos I didn't photocopy them!

Yesterday, my sis drove me to JPJ to renew my license. To upgrade from a P (Percubaan) to a permanent driver's license. My father suggested to renew for 3 years. 3 years ma 3 years lah! Hehe...

However, when we got there, the computer system was OFFLINE. So, we had to wait for a quite a while. I could see other people looking bored, tired, or just plain frustrated! Can't blame them!

And my stupid second-hand Proton Tiara is giving 'alarming' problems. Each time we tried to start the car, the alarm goes off. Irritating-nya... Hope the mechanic will do something about it or just tell the right way to go about it!

Plus, I need to drive more with the Tiara so I'll get used to it, like what my mom and sis are always saying.

Ah....chooo....alamak! Sneezing non-stop now. Gotta go!

6 More Days To Go....

On Monday, I need to go to my old school and get my photostated IC certified as well as dad's paycheck. Well, the paycheck needs the Headmaster's 'cop' it seems! I'm quite terrified at this idea. I've never even spoken to the headmaster before let alone asking him to certify it for me. I think I'll ask one of my teachers for help on this.

Now that I think about it, I don't have much to prepare because if I need anything, I can live without it for a few days, then when I'm free, I can just go back home anytime and get it. So, I'll only worry about packing next week. Got to be there at uni early in the morning on 30 June.

It's also ridiculous that all girls are required to don scarves during the one-week orientation. Knee-length skirts, long-sleeved blouses and shoes, no sandals, no slippers. We also have the option of wearing a baju kurung or baju kebaya too, of which I have neither.

AND I have quite a number of books waiting to be read! Only 6 days left! I couldn't possibly finish them all. Hope there'll be time to read them when I'm in uni. Oh, I hope there'll be a television set too and I hope that other students like Smallville. Haha! Season 5 will be shown on TV3 starting from July 15th! My mom said if I wanted to watch, then don't need study already. Sigh...got to make some sacrifices.

Make the right decisions. Follow your heart. Have no regrets. I'm talking nonsense now. G'nite!

Preparing For University

It really feels like a big step for me! It feels like going to school for the first time. But this is not regular primary or secondary school. This is UNIVERSITY. (No more uniforms! Though, I like them at times.) After university, it’s time to enter the working world. Yeah, the infamous big, bad, world! And I guess university helps you survive it.

Anyway, the question is: Can I survive university in the first place? It’s too soon to think about it. I’ll just live day by day and see how things are.

Being in university also means no going back home to complain to mummy and papa about how evil friends were. No more home-cooked food. No more washing machine (hopefully there are those paying machine ones!). No more comfy bed. No more television! I think got television lah. Erm, what else huh?

Ten days more! Wah, so scary…

I’m lucky my future university is not far from home. If I need anything, I can always go back anytime and get it. What about those having to study far, far away? Yes, there’s the adventure! Good for them!

What essential things to bring? What not to bring? Which stuff that I’ll need the most? Looks like it is time for shopping again. For clothes, stationeries, etc. I’m afraid clothes and other stuff will get stolen. We’re going to meet lots of people from different backgrounds and habits.

Nevertheless, after six months of leisure and relaxing, the thought of going back for classes again seems ‘un-refreshing’. Haha! I’m so happy going online, blogging, reading books, and watching movies and TV.

I think I can survive it. I can do it! I’ve just Googled ‘preparing for university’ and now going through the different websites. Here are a few useful ones:

University of Bolton - Preparing for University

Preparing For University

Practical Steps To Prepare For College

Preparing For University - Sweda ------>cool site! Good questions to ask yourself.

CMS: Preparing for Uni -------->Provides lists of important things to bring along with you.

ACCEPTED!

I got a pleasant shock this afternoon when I received some SMSes from my friends asking me what course I got and which university I was accepted in. Then, I called Miss Advent Child if it's true, whether can check the university results already or not! She told me her good news and I can't wait to see if I'll be getting good news too! I quickly switch on my computer and went straight to the website.

Guess what???

I got my FIRST choice!!!

I read the whole thing twice to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Yes, it's real. I saw the word (the name of my course) and then (name of my university). Hahahahahahaha..........!!! Then, I got over-excited and told the good news to my parents. My little nephew saw I was excited and happy, so he himself got excited too!

Before today, a few people mentioned that it's hard to get accepted in my uni. Boy, when I heard that, I was feeling almost hopeless. And for some time, I really wanted to study my preferred course. But then later, I got fed up with everything and just decided that whatever course I'm given and whichever university I got accepted to, I'm happy. Sometimes, I worry I won't get a place at all! So, it's better to get accepted somewhere than not being accepted anywhere at all!

Oh, and many of my friends were offered places in universities that are quite far away! KL, Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak! So far! Now, I only know that 3 people got accepted to my uni.

Only less than 2 weeks left at home. Then, it's a whole new adventure for me.