I Want An iPod!

I’ve been listening to music ever since….I can’t remember when! When I was younger, my parents would listen to Radio 4 (or now known as Traxx FM) with the voices of Patrick Teoh and Yasmin Yusoff blaring out from the radio.

They then switched to Light and Easy (now LiteFM). I was already in my teenage years then and would protest every now and then to change the radio channel to Hitz.FM. Light and Easy played all the old songs from ancient times, that’s what I thought. On the other hand, Hitz.FM was the cooler channel with the latest hit songs. Well, I didn’t know how to appreciate music from the 60s, 70s and 80s then.

So whenever the opportunity arose, I would secretly switch the radio channel to Hitz.FM. I’d then wait until my parents realize that they’re listening to a totally different channel and make me switch back. Haha!

Right now, I have my favourite songs on my computer and I can listen to them whenever I want, as long as I’m at home! It’s kind of difficult as I can’t carry my computer around with me wherever I go. Getting an iPod would be really convenient, don’t you think? Therefore, wherever I go, I can bring my music along with me!

Earth Hour 2009

If you listen to the radio or watch tv, you might have come across these two words: Earth Hour. No? Then perhaps in the newspapers or magazines (not sure which ones) but the word is being spread.

So what do you do to make Earth Hour 2009 a success? Simple. Just switch off the lights and all other electrical appliances this coming Saturday, 28 March 2009 at 8.30pm, if you're staying in Malaysia. But I'm not sure if we're all supposed to sit in the dark or something. If you have a case of achluophobia or fear of darkness, do get some candles ready. All lights should be switched off for an hour.

And don't forget to visit Malaysia's Earth Hour website and sign up. Their target is 5 million sign ups for Malaysia. But Earth Hour hopes to get more than one billion sign ups all around the world?

You can also cast your vote on the buildings and structures that you think should turn their lights off. Hmm...should the lights on the Penang Bridge be switched off? But what about the cars traveling on the road? I'm pretty there'll be some cars out there at 8.30pm on a Saturday night. It wouldn't be a great idea to drive in utter darkness.

Alright, I'd better get back to my studies. Have a great hour of being environmental-friendly on Saturday!

Me, a Florist?

I didn't know why I wanted to become a florist when I was 10 years old.

In class, my teacher asked every one of us what our ambitions were. When it was my turn, I answered that I wished to be a florist when I grew up. The teacher asked what kind of plants I'll plant and I said, "Roses". She then blurted, "Romantiknya..." (How romantic) and the class began laughing.

I blushed and thought that I should have named some other flower like orchids or tulips, anything but roses!

Perhaps I was partly influenced by all those Enid Blyton books I read that time. I learnt of bluebells, snowdrops, hedgehogs, robins, etc. Erm, were there bird baths? As for the roses, we had a rose plant at home. Pink roses would bloom every now and then.

I didn't bother to find out what bluebells or snowdrops were, so I've been left wondering for years and kept guessing on how they looked like. I thought snowdrops were literally snow drops, something to do with snow!

Well, maybe that's what inspired my dreams of becoming a florist. I would plant all sorts of flowers, roses included, and then sell them in my flower shop! For a 10-year-old kid, it seemed like a grand idea.

Geniuses On The Rise?

How on earth do they do it? How did she manage to score 20 As in her recent SPM exam?? Honestly, I find it really hard to believe. During my time, which was 5 years ago, the top SPM scorer was a girl who scored 17 As.

So what will it be in the next 5 years? Someone who scores 23 As? And then 26 As in 10 years' time? Haha!

Each year, during results announcement time, we are bombarded with news of top and straight-A scorers in the newspapers. No, wait! The number gets higher each year. Looks like we're being surrounded by geniuses!

I'm not being cynical but logical here. Are the students that smart just because they can obtain distinctions in their exams? People even wrote in to newspapers expressing their belief that the marking standards have become too low.

If it's so easy to become a top scorer now, then I wish that I had been born 5 years later!

ETA: Yikes! Looks like there's a reporting error in Bernama. It's written that the 20 As student is a boy. She appears as a girl in NST.

Ready to Hunt?

If you loved Twilight or just got sick of it, you can always turn to alternatives, right? Anyway, if you're familiar with the vampire world, you might have heard of P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, a mom and daughter author-team. Their popular vampire series called House of Night has been all the rage.

In fact, the first book in the series, Marked, has been listed among the 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

Now, the 5th book in the series is out and it's called Hunted. To get a glimpse of the new book, you can either watch, read or listen to some bits from it. Choose any of the options below or if you can't get enough, go ahead and devour them all!

Watch the book trailer



Read the FIRST chapter of Hunted

Listen to the SECOND chapter of Hunted