Do Something Good Today

While browsing through Maw Books Blog's latest posts, I came across her post on the Book Wish Foundation. Click on the link to find out more about their mission to provide reading relief for people in crisis. Check out their About Us page too.

They also have this Holiday Campaign: Donate $1 Per Book You Received. If you want, you can donate $1 for every book that you received as presents for Christmas or for any other celebration this year. To read more about it, go here. You can choose one of the four options given on how you prefer your donation to be put to use.

By donating, you are doing your part in providing reading materials for the Darfur refugees in Chad. Think about it. Someone was nice enough to give you a book as a present. Now it's your turn to give something to those who really need it. What goes around comes around.

I've already donated. I hope they get to read lots of wonderful books!

New Year and New Year Resolutions

Two more days till the New Year. What are you going to do about it? Have you made a new set of New Year Resolutions? How have you spent this year? The year 2008 isn't over yet so you still have a little time left to try to do what you resolved to do at the beginning of this year. Better late than never.

I don't actually write out my New Year resolutions. In fact, I don't always have them listed out. I just keep making resolutions throughout the year but most of the time, my resolutions are made before a new school term begins. They are always the same, study more, study harder, spend less time wasting time, spend less money, save more money, don't procrastinate (number one resolution every time!), and so on.

What kind of resolutions do you usually make and when do you make them? Do you stick with them? Sticking to your resolutions is probably the most important thing. Yeah, you go through all the trouble writing them out in some fancy piece of paper and sticking it onto the refrigerator or your bathroom door or wherever convenient but how's the progress?

I say that I want to read more books but the number of books read is just the same as the previous year. :D I say I don't want to procrastinate but this habit is still going strong in me. So, do you find it hard keeping up to your resolutions?

There's this website where they listed out the Top Ten New Year Resolutions people make every year. Here they are:

1. Enjoy life. (No worries)


2. Reach office on time.


3. Spend time with family and friends.


4. Go for trips and outings.


5. Keep house clean.


6. Quit drinking and smoking


7. Say "No" to junk food.


8. Buy and read books.


9. Work out and exercise.


10. Write a diary.

Those are pretty common resolutions. My favourite one is No. 8 although No. 1 doesn't sound too bad. However, it's not easy trying to do No. 1. If I were to really enjoy life, I wouldn't care less about No. 7 and will eat whatever I wanted. Of course, one should know that junk food isn't kind to the face and body. :/ So, less junk food no matter what!

Nevertheless, good luck with your New Year resolutions and sticking to them! Sit back, relax and wait for the new year and if possible, the new you, to come.

Winner!

Hey there!

I know I'm supposed to announce the winner of my book giveaway right after Dec 23 but I'm sorry as I was kind of busy. It's alright, I'm just going to announce it right now. :)

And the winner is......................

Mussita

I'd also like to thank all those who participated in this giveaway. Thank you, thank you very much!

Learning Spanish Again!

Yes, I'm continuing my Spanish classes again! I took Level One two semesters ago. Now I'm doing Level Two and I've already forgotten half of what I learnt. So yesterday, I tried to cram in as much Spanish as possible so that I can be partially ready for this morning's class. I have the same teacher as last time and I wouldn't want to make her irritated with me for being slow.

Luckily today's class was more uplifting and cheery. At least the teacher spoke some English! In the first class on Monday, she spoke completely in Spanish and I think most of us were quite bewildered and looked at her blankly. There are only five students. I thought it'd be quite dull but I'm glad it was anything but that today. Even though I couldn't answer all the teacher's questions, I had fun.

Now, I just need to do more revision so I'll be better prepared for next week's class.

Have A Merry Christmas!

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers and friends a Very Merry Christmas!




I found this cute, sparkly graphic from the Internet. Wondercliparts.com. You can see many of these graphics on Friendster and Myspace!

Well, hope you have a good Christmas this year. :)

Book Giveaway #4

***STICKY POST*** Scroll down for latest posts!

This time I'm going to give away Gwen Freeman's Crazy Fool Kills Five! It's an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) and has only been read once by me. You can read my review of it too.



The rules are the same as my previous ones. To enter, just do any or all of the following:

1. Simply leave a comment and your e-mail add saying you want to participate - 1 entry
   
   
2. Blog about this giveaway in your blog and tell me about it - 2 entries
   
   
3. Adding me to your blogroll or if I'm already in your blogroll - 5 entries

Again, this giveaway is open to everyone in the world with a valid mailing address. Contest ends on 23 December, 2008. Keep your fingers crossed! :)

Books Read in 2008

1. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
2. Maggie Again by John D. Husband
3. The BFG by Roald Dahl
4. 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom
5. Sticky Fingers by Niki Burnham
6. Astro Socks by Leigh M. Le Creux
7. The Secret Scroll by Ronald Cutler
8. Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias Freese
9. An Amazing Story by Carlo Gabbi
10. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
11. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
12. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
13. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
14. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
15. Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
16. Crazy Fool Kills Five by Gwen Freeman
17. The Poem I Turn To edited by Jason Shinder
18. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer
19. 1984 by George Orwell
20. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
21. The Rat-A-Tat Mystery by Enid Blyton
22. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
23. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
25. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
26. I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
27. Mo' Dirty: Still Stuntin' by Darrell King
28. Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
29. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
30. The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton
31. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
32. The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

I'm still reading The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. I think I might only get to finish it next year what with classes starting and also the Christmas season!

What Have You Done?

I saw this meme at Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker and felt like doing it. There are 100 things in the list and you've to bold the ones you've done.

1. Started my own blog

2. Slept under the stars (What if I could see the stars from my bedroom? Can that be counted?)

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than I can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis (I held a dying bird though. :( No, I didn't kill it. It got hit by a ceiling fan in my school hall. I picked it up to put it somewhere else so that the other students wouldn't accidentally step on it. Poor thing.)

10. Sung a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched lightning at sea

14. Taught myself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown my own vegetables (How about bean sprouts for science projects?)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train (When I was a kid travelling to KL.)

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught myself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had my portrait painted (during a camp. We had to draw each other's portraits. My portrait was drawn horribly by some silly boy.)

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had my picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Rode an elephant

BTT: Treat and Generosity

Wow, two Booking Through Thursday questions! Goody.

Treat

What is the best book you ever bought for yourself?

Hmm, tough one. I'm not really sure but for now, I think it'd be The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

And, why? What made it the best? What made it so special?

It's a beautiful hardback copy which I only bought for USD18 from Better World Books. It's the most expensive book I've ever bought. The pages are smooth and it's a really thick book. 75 chapters altogether!

I'm going to savour each page. It's the last book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy. :(

Generosity

Do you give books as gifts?

Yes.

To everyone? Or only to select people?
To everyone. Everyone as in my nieces and nephew.

How do you feel about receiving books as gifts?
Perfect if they're books that I'll like. My sister once gave me Diary of a Girl in Changi probably because of the girl wearing glasses on the cover. It was terribly boring. :p

Check Out My Authors Page!

I've created an Authors A - Z page in my book review blog. That's where I list out the authors I've read in alphabetical order. I got the idea from Nymeth's and Maw Books Blog.

If readers want to find my review of books by a particular author, they can check out the Author A - Z page to see if I've read anything by the author yet. But there are only around 58 authors listed there! So not a really extensive list. It'll get longer as the days go by though. :)

Well, not much going on right now. I'm just starting The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. I bought the book from Better World Books for only USD18. Quite a good price. Shipping was also only USD2.97 for international orders! Now it's already USD3.97... :(

Sigh, school starts next Monday, 3 days before Christmas!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a book giveaway over at Em's Bookshelf. Hurry! Leave a comment on her blog post before December 19, 2008 to enter.

I Won A Cecelia Ahern Book!

Wow, I'm speechless! I checked my e-mail just now and I couldn't believe my eyes! It started with this:

Dear Winners

Congratulations! You have been selected as the winners for this contest published in The Star, Star Two section on 5 Dec 2008.

Your prize, a copy of Cecelia Ahern's latest book, The Gift will be mailed to the mailing address provided by you in the contest form.

We had to write a slogan about why we love reading Cecelia Ahern's books. I think this is the first time I've won something from writing a slogan. To tell you the truth, my slogan-writing sucks. So this win was like once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.

Oooh, I can't wait for the book to arrive. An early Christmas present for me! :D

*** *** ***

You might also like to read this article on how to end the year! I might sit down and do suggestion No. 1.

ABC List of Books

KittyCat from Right Reads tagged me for this last month.

What are your favourite books? Can you create an ABC list of them? Here’s mine:

A - Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
B - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Black Maria by Diana Wynne Jones
C - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
D - Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fatah
E - Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
F - Firestarter by Stephen King
G - A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
H - The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I -
J - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
K -
L - Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
M - The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
N -
O -
P - PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
Q -
R - Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, Roots by Alex Haley
S - The Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella
T - The True Story of Lilli Stubeck by James Aldridge, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
U - Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
V -
W - Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
X -
Y -
Z -

This would be my list for the time being. As I read more books and if I happen to get fond of them, I'll just add them in the list above.

If you want to do it, go ahead and let me know! I'd like to see your list too. :)

Downfall

I saw this over at Trisha's blog and wanted to do it too! I did another one just like this some time ago and found it oh-so-fun. The answers were hilarious too!

• Put your iTunes/Other music device on shuffle.
  
• For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
  
• YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
  
• Tag friends who might enjoy doing this.

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY? Hand In My Pocket
   
2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Wait A Minute
   
3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Taking Chances
   
4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Dream Catch Me
   
5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? Glamorous
   
6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Don't Cha
   
7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Runaway
   
8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS? Dance Inside
   
9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Ashes and Wine
   
10. WHAT IS 2+2? Take A Bow
    
11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Be Mine (???)
    
12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Best I Ever Had (???) :p
    
13. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Single
    
14. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Far Away
    
15. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Obsession (No Es Amor) Hmm, sounds cool.
    
16. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Maria
    
17. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Potential Break-Up Song
    
18. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? I Ain't Missing You (Oh no!)
    
19. WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Say
    
20. HOW WILL YOU DIE? Brave
    
21. DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? All You Wanted
    
22. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Bounce
    
23. WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Torn
    
24. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DAY? Put Your Records On
    
25. HOW’S YOUR LOVE LIFE? Who Knew
    
26. IF YOUR LIFE WAS A TV SHOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED? She's So High
    
27. WHAT’S YOUR PARTY SONG? Everything
    
28. WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR A LIVING? Over You
    
29. WHAT WAS THE WEATHER LIKE TODAY? If Everyone Cared
    
30. WHAT WAS/WILL GRADUATION (BE) LIKE FOR YOU? Complicated
    
31. WHAT WERE YOUR DREAMS LIKE LAST NIGHT? Ever The Same
    
32. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Downfall

Wow, that took almost two hours. You know, to listen the songs one by one. :)

Anyway, I'd like to tag the following people:

1) Edmund
2) Faisal
3) Drey
4) Jard The Great
5) YOU!

What I Read Last Month

Only three books because I had exams until November 19. Here they are:

• Mo' Dirty: Still Stuntin' by Darrell King
  
• Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
  
• Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
  

I'm now reading Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer! In the middle of Chapter 5 right now. :)

The Twilight Movie

I watched Twilight today! I couldn't wait actually. I almost resorted to buying a fake DVD just to watch it but luckily there were none! A few days ago, I even tried downloading the movie from Limewire. I downloaded it twice but couldn't watch on any of my movie players! Definitely frustrating. So today, armed with my student card, I went to watch it for only RM6 or around USD1.65. Very affordable. I didn't even buy popcorn as the movie was almost starting.

The movie was quite okay. I read the book last year but I think it stayed pretty close to the book. And like I mentioned in my previous post, they had a good-looking cast. Duh, they were already good-looking in the book! Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan looked and sounded smarter than the Bella from the book. I also thought Bella from the movie kind of unfriendly and unsmiling.

Robert Pattinson (Cedric in Harry Potter) was okay as Edward. Yeah, he did look good and mysterious, like what he's supposed to be. And he looked nothing like the movie poster above! What's with the poster???

They also casted the role of Alice well. I liked Ashley Greene as Alice. She looked likeable. Carlisle was so white and yellow at the same time. Well, he looked like that to me. Jacob's hair was sooooo long. I didn't realize he had long hair in the book. Did he?

Besides that, they played great music. I enjoyed them! Look out for the part where Bella first watches the Cullens enter the cafeteria. I liked that part.

Overall, great movie. I wonder if they'll make a New Moon movie. If yes, wow, then it's gonna be another long wait. I might enjoy the movie better than the book, which was unfortunately quite dull.

ETA: I've just read that the baseball scene from the movie is famous! Yeah, it helped me understand how they actually played because I did not fully get it from the book.

Wow, Pattinson actually played the piano in the movie! He's a 'really talented musician' as quoted from WikiAnswers.