How fast do you read?

I read 296 words in 40 seconds.
I read 449 words per minute.
That makes me 80% faster than the national average.

If I maintained this reading speed, I could read:

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy in 21 hours and 48 minutes
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling in 2 hours and 51 minutes 
3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien in 17 hours and 46 minutes 
4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller in 6 hours and 28 minutes 
5. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell in 3 hours and 18 minutes (I wish! I finished this book after two weeks!)
6. The Fountainhead by Ayn Randin 11 hours and 34 minutes 
7. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck in 6 hours and 17 minutes 
8. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens in 5 hours and 2 minutes 
9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte in 4 hours 
10. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee in 3 hours and 41 minutes 
11. The Color Purple by Alice Walkerin 2 hours and 28 minutes 

How many books* could I read on each eReader before recharging?
*Assuming an average book length of 136,604 words
Three books on the Kindle.

Source: Staples eReader Department

To try the test, just click on the picture of the e-reader on the top. And let me know how you scored! :)

My Handmade Christmas Card

Instead of popping a movie into the DVD player, I sat down and made this:


Front of card


When you open it


Back of card


Cool, huh? I spent over an hour cutting and pasting and putting the card together. Man, the yellow does seem a bit too striking but I only have red and yellow construction paper at home. I cut out the pictures of the Christmas tree, the reindeer, and the words from Guardian and Toys R Us advertisement booklets.

I think I'll make some more cards. But first I need to get more construction papers of different colours!

Recycle Your Used Envelopes

Lately I've been buying a lot of stuff through the Internet and I've obviously been receiving a lot of parcels. It's so fun to receive a parcel or a thick envelope in the mail! But that's beside the point. What I'm talking about now is envelopes. Yeah, you heard me right. What do you do with your old envelopes? Do you toss them into the trash? Or do you recycle them? What do you do with them?

Through Book Mooch, I get books from people from other countries like USA and England. What's interesting is that they sent the books in used envelopes, which means they sort of recycled them! Fascinating, isn't it? That can save us money and also save the environment. So, if possible, try and reuse your envelopes and Jiffy bags. Just stick some paper over the old addresses and also use cellophane tape to tape wherever necessary.

If you are unsure on how you can reuse your old envelopes, any kind of envelopes, try searching on Google by typing "how to reuse envelopes?" or "how to recycle envelopes?". You'll find lots of websites providing step by step intructions and tips on how you can use your old envelopes again. There are also steps showing you how to make your own envelope using old, unwanted pieces of paper like junk mail and old calendars. Perhaps when you're bored and there are lots of useless papers lying around the house, you might as well embark on this DIY project!

For Malaysians, you can start your recycling by visiting this site.

The Typealyzer Test

I saw the Typealyzer Test at Drey's blog and decided to try it out for my own blog! This is the result:

ISTP - The Mechanics

The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.

Analysis
This show what parts of the brain that were dominant during writing.

Where To Buy More Used Books & Other Stuff?

I'm now an avid fan of two online websites where people sell off their stuff at cheap prices. They are Low Yat Forum and Mudah. Lelong ain't that bad either but I prefer Low Yat the most.

I've spent my money on second-hand books, DVDs, and clothes from this Low Yat forum. It really is like a market place where all kinds of stuff are sold. People sell books, clothes (old and new), make-up, furniture, electronic stuff, animals (pets), computer stuff, mobile phones, cookies, cakes, movies, music, concert tickets, the list goes on and on. Some people even sell Paypal funds. Very happening huh?

If you want to sell off your old stuff and you find eBay too tiresome, why not try Low Yat, Mudah or Lelong? Try to be honest in your dealings so you won't get negative remarks from the other members. Cheating never does anyone any good.

A piece of advice: Don't spend too much time at the forum or you'll be addicted to it! It really is "insanely addictive", which is Low Yat's tagline. Take care not to spend too much. A lot of things seem cheap there and you may feel like you gotta have them all. Do bear in mind that you need to be frugal at times too.

Down With ISA?

I was on my way to the ID show a few weeks ago and came across this little campaign near Prangin Mall. Stopped by for a while and snapped some pics. Check out the black guy crouching over a plate of rice!

From afar, I thought it was a real guy who's doing some kind of stunt but realized that it's not a real human because he's been in that position for quite a long time already.




The huge banner that was displayed


(left)The grammatical error which I hope they changed after I told them about it!
(right)Photocopy of 1987 Star newspaper.



The names of 66 people who are still being detained under the ISA





A lady giving a speech. I didn't listen.

Unrelated photo!


QEII restaurant? Near the ferry terminal place.

Went To Watch Id Today

This should be the second theatrical play that I've watched in all my life. Id. You can find out more about it from their blog. There are only six actors in the play. It lasted for less than two hours but boy, was it entertaining! I was totally immersed in the play the whole time it lasted. It was also held at The Actors Studio at Greenhall, Penang.

The actors are really talented. They were flawless, extremely expressive, had clear pronunciation of words, energetic, full of chemistry with one another, and the list just goes on. It was worth my RM15.00 (student price)! I want to watch more plays after this!

I noticed that the audience was quite small. I think there were around 20++ people there. But they had shows at other times too. Perhaps the crowd's less on a Sunday afternoon.

Here's a description of what the play's about!

­­'­Id' tells a very simple story on the basis of a very ‘complex’ theory.

It is simply a tale of human behaviour and how one’s desires are coupled with one’s sense of moral judgment, which finally leads to an individual’s decision.

The play is a potpourri of sociological studies summarised and portrayed through the lives of six people who encounter the values of friendship, family, social choice, religion, etc.

Perhaps understanding Freud isn’t as difficult as it has always seemed.

The story of the play had something to do with Sigmund Freud's theories.

They even had bits of Mean Girls and White Chicks in it. For example, when the girls were talking with each other. They talked like how the girls in White Chicks did. Also, they used 'Oh my God!' a lot of times. Too many times actually till it got irritating.

The ending was a little bit confusing too. Why was the 'Angel of Death' wearing a white bathrobe? I thought the girl character had ended up in a hotel room with some strange guy or something. Didn't realize that she's Death itself! Maybe that's another character she plays.

But overall, it was a great show. Wonderful exposure for me since I'm planning to minor in Drama and Theatre. I love stories. I love movies. And now, I love theatre!

This Blog - Suitable For All

I couldn't resist doing this test about how my blog's rated.

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Whereas for my other blog with all my book reviews, Books Love Me - Reviews, this is how it's being rated!



Not suitable??? It's ridiculous. Just because there are words like 'dead' and 'hurt' shouldn't really qualify it as PG-rated. Maybe it's too morbid for younger readers.

So how does your blog rate? :)

My First Chess Competition

That happened yesterday. A closed chess tournament, only open to students in my uni. I think there were only around 13 or 14 players. One player didn't come. Only 3 female players.

Well, there were 6 rounds. Here's a recap of my games:

Round 1: Played with an Indonesian student. He was shocked that he's to compete with a girl. He's also shocked that there are girls who play chess. Sigh...but he won. :(

Round 2: Played with a tension-looking Chinese guy. He played and hit the chess clock very fast! I'm a slow player so he had to wait patiently. Anyway, he's one of those chess champs. He won.

Round 3: Played with another girl. She moved her pieces fast and aggressively. Looks fierce while playing. She won.

Round 4: Opponent missing in action. I won automatically. :D

Round 5: Played with the other girl. A slow player like me. I won. :D

Round 6: Played with another guy. He's a fast player too. Probably was bored while waiting for me to think and move my pieces. He won.

And that was my first chess competition. Won 2 games out of 6. Actually winning *one* game only but too bad one of my opponents didnt' come, so it's 2. The competition lasted almost a whole day. From 10 am until around 6.30pm. Lunch wasn't provided too! I remembered them saying that there's lunch but then, no food in sight! Had to go to a nearby cafeteria and ate chicken rice.

One hour, one round. First round started at 10.00 am. Luckily I brought a book to read. Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Would have been bored to death if I didn't. When I finished early or in other words, when I was rapidly defeated, I had some free time because we had to wait for the other players to finish their games.

It's been a good experience and I also made some new friends. Will consider joining more chess tournaments. Well, I have to brush up on my chess-playing skills first!

Back To School and IComLeavWe

Yeah, great start for my first day back at university. First class was okay. Then, I went to my school's office to fax a letter. Unfortunately, the fax/letter couldn't be sent so I guess I have to try again another day. Well, today's a busy day for them and for all those electronical stuff because today's the last day for us students to register our courses. You know, computers running, people using the Internet, telephones ringing, etc.

Okay, my second class was supposed to start at 4 pm and I thought I might take a nap. Hah! I went to sleep and woke up at 3.15 pm and checked my phone. My friend sent me an SMS at 2.43 pm telling me that class would start at 3 pm instead! I quickly ate my lunch, changed, hopped into my car and drove away! Luckily, this lecturer is not that strict and anyway, it's first day of class. So, no legal action was taken. There were a few others who were later than me too.

Ooh, I'm not taking Spanish this semester. :( I already have enough papers. Perhaps next semester!

Anyway, I found out about IComLeavWe (International Comment Leaving Week) through Out of the Blue.





From July 21 until July 28, you have to comment 6 times a day. Please click on the IComLeavWe link to find out more. This should be fun. If you want more people to come comment at your blog, do consider taking part! See ya!

Scratch My Back & I'll Scratch Yours

Hey people, I've added something new to my sidebar! Do you see 'Are You In My Topspots?' right after my Subscribe by e-mail widget? Yup, that's the one! Have you heard of Scratchback.com? Nope, this ain't a sponsored post.

Wanna know how it works? Well, you get to put your link on my blog for a small fee. Your link will be there until there's a 6th entry. I've only set up 5 link spots. You can have the widget on your blog too and wait for the money to roll in. Well, there's only money if there's people paying you to put their links there. Ah! Does it sound complicated?

Okay. You pay me $2.00 and you get to put your link on my blog. For how long, I'm not sure. Probably for quite long if there aren't new links rolling in. :) So, if you want the widget on your blog too, then just sign up with ScratchBack! Have fun!

How Many Books Have You Bought This Month?

I'm a little bored right now and felt like asking a question that's book-related. I've played a few games of chess on Yahoo games this morning. Well, I won some games and lost too. :( I'm always happy when I win! And now, I'm taking a short break from it.

Anyway, that's my question:

How Many Books Have You Bought This Month?

I'm quite curious as to how many books people buy each time. Me? I bought only 2 books! Would love to buy more but if I had extra cash and less TBR books, I'd definitely love to go on a book shopping spree. :D

Crazy About Chess

Chess, chess, chess…I’ve been playing chess frequently ever since last month. Yeah, kind of addicted to the game and it’s some sort of therapy for me too. My friend commented that I should try other games and not play chess all the time. Well, I tried other games but I always returned to playing those white and black pieces. :)

I learnt to play this game a long time ago. I don’t really remember when but that time, I learnt the movement of the different pieces. The king is the most useless one of all, only being able to move one pathetic step at a time. On the other hand, his wife(???), the Queen, is the most powerful. She can move anywhere. If you lose your Queen, you’ll feel like your game has come to an end. But then, the game is only really over when your king has been checkmated. So, you should keep playing and don’t give up that fast!

Another friend introduced me to play chess at Yahoo games last month. Yeah, it’s kind of my second home for now. I get to play as many games of chess with anyone, anytime. You also get to meet lots of colourful characters there too. Some are nice, some not so nice and some players are too brilliant for me. If I see their ridiculously high ratings, I won’t play with them! They’ll defeat me mercilessly, I tell ya!

My ratings aren’t that great anyway. However, I never resign from a game. I’ll keep playing until I either get my king checkmated or get a draw or a stalemate. Sometimes, even if my king is the only one left in my army, I still gain points. This is because my opponent couldn’t checkmate my king properly. So, in a way, I gain points as a result of my unlimited perseverance. :)

How long will I be playing chess and neglect my books? I don’t really know. I know I should balance my time with chess and books. I’ve been really behind in my readings. My plan was to try to read as much as possible but this chess thing came up out of the blue. I’ll just continue playing until school reopens or until I just get plain bored with the game. :p

*Beep*

Do you swear a lot on your blog? Curious about how much profanity that you use? Hehe...check this out!




I saw this from Between the Covers.

It's pretty low but not low enough! How does your blog fare?

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Something else to fill my time with! How's your spelling? Think you can enter a spelling bee competition? I haven't participated in one before. If only my school had held one for us students!

I Scored a 93%!

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Read My Blog In Your Language!

I've just added an Altavista Babel Fish button at the left side of my blog. You can now change this blog's language to any of the 8 languages that it is able to change to.

If you want Chinese, click on China's flag:

If German:




Next, Japanese!





For French:





If you want Italian:




For Korean:




If you want to read in Portuguese:




And finally, if you want español:




There, you have 8 languages! This is a good flag lesson for me too. Now, at least I know which flag belongs to which country.

And no, you don't click on the flag's which appear on THIS post. You will need to click the flags in the small button on the bottom left of the page. The button is just above my Bookaholic Blogring box.

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!