The blog that use to be known as

Confession of a thirty something.
Hah, I wish!  Last I checked I was no longer thirty-something in August this year ^_^
So the change of the blog title is inevitable.  And since I'm changing the title, why not change the whole layout right?  So here I am after more than 2 hours trying to figure out Blogger's new dashboard layout and how do I make these changes, so pls, pls, bear with me if you encounter a half cook blog here.  I'm doing my best.  So here's hoping you stick with me and I see you around.  Soon. I hope.
PS/ apparently you can choose how you want to view my blog from the drop down menu (on the left).  So the choice is in your finger or mouse.

From Russia xoxo

Okay I'm still in the getting use to mode of using my Mac, so pls excuse me if the arrangement of the photos are somehow all over the place.  Maybe it will stay this way for all the entries to come.  Its hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Anyways, hubby went to Moscow and St. Petersburg for yet another company's incentive trip last October (and yes I was green with envy) but I got all these magnets.  My favorite will have to be the St. Basel Red Square.

I also 'forced' hubby to make sure to get me the Matryoshka dolls.  Aren't they cute especially the babies ^_^

So the magnets are now totaling 123 and counting ...

Ghostwritten by David Mitchell

Okay so it's been a while since I update my readings.  Excuses to that can be several blog entries so I safe you the agony and proceed to this book.
At this point I'm still unsure on how to upload the photo of the book from my iPhoto into this new spanking MacBook Air of mine but I hope I'll figure it out soon so I can paste the book pic here.

But first thing first before I'm bogged down by other things in real life, my Apr-May reading.  Can you believe it that I'm only updating this now? I can't either.  Let me see, where's my note...

Okay I have several David Mitchell's books.  This is my first attempt to read him.  It's a combination of several short stories where one or two characters from each story will somehow interlink or with the other story very briefly.  Sometimes you have to really pay attention to your reading in order to notice that.

Chapter Tokyo
pp44  Then one of them asked why Japanese kids try to ape American kids? The clothes, the rap music, the skateboards, the hair.  I wanted to say it's not America they're aping, it's the Japan of their parents that they're rejecting.  It's not American culture exploiting us.  It's us exploiting them.
Hmm, thought provoking.

Conversation between two friends pp49
Koji: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Satoru: I believe in lust at first sight.
Koji: Seriously
Satoru: Well, love has to be based on knowledge, hasn't it?  You have to know someone intimately to be able to love them.  So love at fist sight is a contradiction in terms.  Unless in that first sight there's some sort of mystical gigabyte downloading of information from one mind into the other.  That doesn't sound too likely does it?
Are you smiling yet?

Chapter Hong Kong
It's about a corrupt financial lawyer.  I don't know what to make of it.  Don't quite like it but not totally disliking it either.

Chapter Holy Mountain
p146 I think my father was Emperor Chi seen shit.  Finding virtue in him was harder than finding a needle in the Yangtze river.  He never spoke a word of kindness or thanks to me and he sold my chastity for two tea bowls.  But, he was my father and the souls of the ancestors are the responsibility of the descendants.

An old woman who lives at the foot of a holy mountain all her life made her pilgrimage to the summit of holy mountain only to find - it was not holy anymore.  This is a tragic story but it has a justified ending.

Chapter Mongolia
This is my favorite chapter thus far.  One word, magical.

Chapter Petersburg
This one took me longer than expected.  But the last 10 pages were fast but story was not to my liking.

Chapter London
pp271 Question: Why do you exist?  Answer: Rugged lust and ruptured rubber?
LOL
pp285 I don't believe in an afterlife.  I consider the idea of God to be a childish prank and worst, a sick joke probably pulled by the devil.  And oh yes, you can have one without the other ...
London is about a guy who has to convince himself that he can make a commitment to marry the mother of his child.  I think ...

Chapter Clear Island
Scientist with a conscience, a fugitive, a woman - a page turner for me.  My favorite chapter thus taking over the previously liking above.

Chapter Night Train
This one completely baffled my mind.  I couldn't phantom who is whom etc.  Confused BUT the story is intriguing and clever for me to keep ploughing through. To sum up, a page turner with clever dialogues and complicated plot.

Chapter Underground
Epilogue of Okinawa.  The closure of the first chapter.

So I finished the book, more than a month later.  I think its an acquired taste, to read Mitchell that is.  I don't really enjoyed my first attempt.  But I can't strike it off entirely bcos com'on people this is THE David Mitchell we talking about and not to mention that I have 3 other titles that belongs to him which I bought and have yet to read!!!  Don't ask how come?  All I can say, not all recommendations out there works for you.  But read you must of anything you fancy.

Note: at this moment I have yet to figure out how to download the book's pic so I may have to post this without the book cover.

Day job

I blame my work. The one thing that never fail to wake me up unwillingly everyday except for weekends. The thing that pays all my bills. The one that allows me to taste all the luxury things that I sometimes splurge on. The one that makes me think is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? The thing that had me cried every time a new year dawns in because I always felt that I haven't done good enough to write it in my achievement column. Everyday I wish I'm doing something else and I don't know what that something else is. Until then, I'll be here stuck to do what everybody thinks I'm very good at except myself, my day job.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

After 86 pages or so, I don't know why but I kept comparing the book with everything from Dan Brown. Maybe bcos I desperately need it to be as fast pace as any of DB's book. So far it hasn't been.  Is it bcos of the lengthy and unfamiliar Scandinavian names of people and places? I struggled to come to terms with the difficult pronunciation and to remember the characters/protagonist's names.  But I'm getting there (note to myself)

P117 or so
There were many examples related to real live incidents but bcos it happened in Scandinavia scenes so again I'm not too familiar or even knew about it  (even though there were high profile cases in the financial journalism ~ what's happening to me?) so I just assume these were fictional which could have otherwise be plus points or even spark an interest ( I'm losing it unless something happen - fast).

p209 'She looked like an ageing vampire ~ still strikingly beautiful but as venomous as a snake' ~ Isabella raised her cane and pressed the handle against Mikael's chest.  To me Isabella Vanger sounds like 'Cruella' from 101 Dalmations.  I even pictured her as such.

p214 'Rebecka case' - the killer tied her up and stuck her head into the smouldering embers of a fire place, when she was still alive - OMG.  I had to stop reading.

The above was the start of many crimes written in this book.  Many other were quite unimaginable and horrendous crimes especially the sexual abuses.

p346 Mikael Blomkvist discovered the mystery behind the names and number in Harriet's diary ~ I knew it!!  Bcos that were my guesses too.  But I couldn't be sure bcos I don't read the bible, but I suspect as much.

p360 t-shirt slogan : Armageddon was yesterday - today we have a serious problem. LOL

p366 Blomkvist meets Salander. FINALLY.  Been waiting for this for like forever.  Plot is getting better and there was no stopping for me after that.

Conclusion: It was a page turner but only after more than 300 pages.  Thankfully my patience was rewarded. Not many readers can withstand such agony.  This is a dark thriller book which I must say is not my favourite genre.

Would I continue  reading Larsson's book 2 & 3? Yes ... but not so soon.  Maybe I should watch the movie first as to gain more interest on the sequel book.

Warning: spoiler ahead

I did suspect Martin (Harriet's brother).  Don't you just love it when you are right?

Fridge magnets chronicle





Few months back, hubby went to Vietnam.  He bought this cute wedding couple fridge magnet.




Earlier, his colleague went to Uzberkistan and got us the above magnet and she later went to Korea and got us this beautiful Hanbok (Korea's traditional dress) magnet.

 

 

In the recent school holiday, we took the kids to Tioman Island.  Here's one I got from there.

That's a total of 117 to-date.

The September of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer

I'm going to pretend as if I have been updating my blog all this while and brush off the fact that it has not been updated for the past 4 weeks.  Truth be told, I have no valid reason, other than I'm too lazy to on my aged notebook and wait for it to come alive, without falling asleep first.

I read this book somewhere in mid January (yeah, how time flies!) The note in the book stated that I bought it somewhere in 2008.  Couldnt believe it took me almost 2 year plus to finally read it.

The story reminds me of Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, but a milder version. What captivated me
was how it was beautifully written, even though subject takes place in a war. 

p68 prisoner's decapitated head paraded on the streets on a pike is similarised to kebab on a skewer (okay I admit this not beautiful but gory and unfortunately aptly compared)

p77 notion of death is like a wallpaper ~ present but rarely seen

It is about how the use-to-be affluent people under the Shah's ruling and the common ones survived ~ post Shah of Iran.  It tells of how the relationship between master and servant, employer and employee, children between private and public schools and friendship ~
changed during pre and post war.

p103 In 1971, whilst placing 2 wreaths of flowers on the tomb of Cyrus, the Shah solemly recited 'Cyrus, rest in peace for we are well awake'. In the minute of silence that followed his speech, the desert wind blew stronger, swirling the yellow dust in the air etc.  Question: Had Cyrus soul responded to the Shah? Spooky.

p227 Pain, he has come to realize is the domain of the elders. Their suffering always more noble and more justified than that of a boy like him, who is expected to find thrills in his new environment and to lock his short past in the cellar, only to retrieve it, years later like a bottle of wine and share it in brief sips with the dinner guests.

This is an engaging story from a debut attempt. I enjoyed it.

Belieber or not

Image via WikipediaMy 13 year old son Danish is obsessed with Justin Bieber.  Yes you name it - the songs, videos, mags, caps, Supra sneakers, the color purple and of cos the hair (before Bieber cuts off his famous locks).  We even celebrated his birthday last year with JB's theme.

We've decided that my son will not be going to JB's World Tour Concert here in KL bcos
1) its on a school night
2) none of his (male) friends are going
3) if he were to go; I have to chaperon him
4) that will double the already high price tickets
5) hubby will be outstation and cannot send him to the venue
6) I dont know how to get to the venue on my own (typical me)
7) I have to take half day leave from work
8) etc. etc

I can think of many, many other valid reasons on why he can't go.  So to cut the story short - to compensate we brought him to watch the movie instead.  The whole family went to watch Justin Bieber Never Say Never (the movie) in 3D no less.  Even grandma (my mother) came along.  In less than 2 hours when the movie ended, all of us (except my youngest son who fell asleep three quarter of the movie) were converted to 'Belieber'.  I cant believe it, we were so fascinated by his natural talent, preseverance and determination.  We were discussing about him all the way till we reached home.  Even though Danish didnt say it out loud but from his look I know he's sort off saying ~ I told you so ~ to us the grown ups. LOL

I'm not sure what possesed me and hubby but as a result of that I've just confirmed two online tickets for Danish and his chaperone ~ me to watch JB My World Tour Concert in Malaysia this coming Apr 21.

Whatever happens to all the eight reasons above? I'll worry about that soon ... very soon.

I found the video below on a recent flash mobs by kids to celebrate the Bieber Fever (yup I've even learnt their lingo) here in KL.  Enjoy!!

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I almost reluctant to write anything about this book. Not bcos I don't like but quite the contrary actually. I love it so much! I'm afraid my words will do injustice to it. p3 'cemetery of forgotten books' I dont know why but those mere words stole my heart away and I'm completely smitten by the book. And I only just started. Cemetery of forgotten books is a place of mystery, a sanctuary. Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down it's pages, it's spirit grows and strengthens. How cool is that? Just by reading the introductory I can feel it in my bones that I've just hit the jackpot. It literally gave me goosebumps!! Daniel is entrusted with a book which became his destiny in finding out who and what happen to the said book missing author Julian Carax. p9 A secret's worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept p233 Destiny is usually just around the corner. Like a thief, a hooker or a lottery vendor, it's three most common personification. But what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it yourself. I had many suspicions or theories as the story unfold. So alert - spoilers ahead: 1. Somewhere along the pages, I suspected Julian's mother got to do with something or everything 2. The Devil is Carax or at least Carax is alive 3. Julian is related to Daniel? p76 Presents are made for the pleasure of the one who gives them, not the merits of those who receive them. I can't brag enough ~ I enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind so much. Thank you Zafon.

Don't Go Home by GD & Top (Big Bang)

The group Big Bang has always been one of my favourite group from South Korea. My favourite band member is G-Dragon. However this video is not from the group per se but rather 2 of the group members G-Dragon and TOP from their mini album project outside the original group. Seung ri another group member also released a mini album on his own. In addition, the group Big Bang itself has recently released a new single. Hopefully I'll be able to post their videos in other entry.

Both GD and Top are famous with their quirky sense of style and hairstyle or rather colors. But it is not so obvious in this video. Anyways their music/songs are often cute, with catchy tunes and naughty lyrics which are typically them. Enjoy.

A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham

Read this book somewhere mid Dec last year. I'm not really good in updating the books that I have read am I?? Sigh. Not something I'm proud of.

The two main protagonists in this book were Jonathan and Bobby. Jonathan, lost his younger sister at birth when he was five and Bobby, lost his 16 year old brother when he was nine. Two different lives and on page 41 they finally met. I dont like the way Jonathan treated his mother when he was a teenager. He can get pretty self centred. Whilst for Bobby, honestly I dont quite understand him. I thought he suppose to be quiet, cool and dangerous type of guy. He turned out to be quiet but not the other 2 traits.

The two boys childhood pretty much shaped up their future lives. This is not my usual type of book. Cant really say I like it but I was engrossed by it. I really want to know what happen to these two characters whom were infatuated with each other originally but somehow along the line there is a girl involved and later a baby and another male lover who has Aids. The ending was not what I expected. I remembered feeling like aahh.. there is no closure. It was like one of those ... life goes on thingy, take it or leave it.

The only good thing that when I closed the final page, I finally can enjoy my dinner which was a burger at this ancient A&W outlet in PJ, which surprising still exist. The end.

Genie by SNSD / Girls' Generation

The next 'it' export of Korea apart from brands like LG, Samsung, Kia would probably be SNSD or also known as Girls Generation. The 9 members (only in korea where you get girl or boy band members exceed the typical 3-5 members in a band) girl group is making wave with their long legged trademarks. Their sold out concert in Bangkok saw 70% of audiences were guys. No surprises there ^_^

Other famous songs from SNSD are Run Devil Run, Oh!, Gee and this one which is my favourite Genie. I hope the video doesn't halt too much for you. If yes, just let it run and replay it again. Enjoy.

The Outcast by Sadie Jones

'Gilbert, am I all right, do you think? You're lovely.
All right for him? All right for anybody'

That's the conversation between Lewis's future stepmother and his father~ Gilbert. For a while I thought everything will be going well for this troubled young boy. But I was wrong.

From a very young age, Lewis was confused by his parents relationship and his mom's alcoholic daze behaviour. Nevertheless they are his parents and he loves them. Until tragedy strikes and his luck and life seems to spiral down from there. As a young man, he's confused. People misunderstood him, he can't even understand himself which lead him into doing harmful things to his surroundings and himself.

p331 Lewis walks towards the Carmichael's house ... (I can't read anymore. Can't stand the suspense of what Dicky ~ Tamsin's abusive and arrogant father would do to Lewis). Dont know how many times I closed the book with my heart beating fast fearing for Lewis. A few beats went by before I felt brave enough to look at the pages again and read on.

And then there is Kit (Tamsin's younger, plain-jane looking sister). Whom had a secret crush on the much older Lewis. Both Kit and Lewis shared a same bond which neither of them knew at that time. They were both considered difficult and different from the other 'normal' family members. They were both an 'outcast' so to speak.

p433 I can feel myself smirking when Kit said to her mom `but when I'm gone, don't you think it will be your turn again, Mother?'
Domestic violence will never stop or go away by itself, if you keep quiet about it.

There is no justice at the end of this story, well not the kind that I'm looking for. But at least, I believe there is peace in Lewis's very turmoil mind.

p440 'Look Lewis, Kit said holding her arms out wide 'We're saved!'

Worlds Within Korean Drama

Okay I admit, watched this because of my new interest in the leading actor Hyun Bin who was also in the previous drama which I recently watched Secret Garden. Didnt recognise him in My Lovely Samsoon (which I only see half way).

However, watching the drama reminds me too much of work because it's about people behind the scene. People who makes drama -EP, directors, crews etc. Though I don't do dramas but it's comforting (in a way) to see that TV stations 'atmosphere' are about the same wherever you are. Stressful.
I was reading a comment in one of the episode where someone was asking on the scene where a tape had to be deliver too close to the TX time, PA was rushing back almost got hit by a car, threw the tape at post production, director and editor furiously editing and barely made it into transmission. Don't know in drama production but in tv especially in reality tv shows, that's normal. So if you have a heart problem stay far, far away from this industry. If you don't have such condition, there's a high chance you might develop one.

I read somewhere that this drama didnt get the high ratings that they hope for. Maybe because it was too much of a reality compare to the cinderella fantasy of Secret Garden but I still like it. Hyun Bin and leading lady Song Hye-Kyo on camera chemistry was perfect. So I guess that's why they continue it off set ^_^

Danish's 12th Birthday Bash (part 2)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This is the second part of my eldest son Danish's birthday party. At the end the whole 'chaotic' episodes were worth it when he exclaimed he thinks and his friends also think it was the best birthday they have attended so far. Aww... I should have made this into a profession ^_^

Danial my youngest son is asking when will be his turn? Wait for another 3 years if I'm still up to it.

Enjoy this.

Aloha

Hadi our soon to be latest addition to the family (Yameen's fiance) bought magnets for all his soon to be aunties when he went for a course to Hawaii. Can you imagine? Having a course/training there? I love this cheery, yellow magnet ... so there's my approval stamp, not that he needs it. But the boy is learning fast :)
So this makes 113 so far.

Danish 12th Birthday Bash

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This was quite sometime ago, but I only managed to edit the photos now. Danish is a big fan of Justin Bierber so the birthday theme was as such. I had a crash course on everything JB from who is his latest duet partner to which part of his body was injured when he last fell in order for me to prepare JB's trivia during the party.
Hubby is responsible for all JB's songs & videos to play during the party beg/borrow/download. Things parents do for their kids.

This is part one. Enjoy.

Secret Garden (Korean drama)

Two days ago, I went to office feeling like I've been hit by a 10 tonne trailer the night before.

It's been quite some time since I watch a Korean drama that moved me and when I found this I couldn't catch the tv transmission time so I finally resolved to the ever accommodating www and that's when the trouble started. For 3 nights in a row, my bedtime is getting one hour later than the night before and the last 6 eps had me going over the board. I could have wait until the weekend but no I didn't. Keep telling myself, just one more eps over and over again until it was 4am and the damage has been done!
Needless to say I survived Friday at the office but not without difficulty. I was a walking zombie. And I have no one to blame but myself.

Okay back to the drama, I was completely smitten by the main character Kim Joo Won played by Hyun Bin. As a result, I'm now watching an old drama starring him too. Yes, this time I'll limit myself to 2 eps in a day. Pray: 'God, pls grace me the willpower to stop'. Amen.

The script included some lines from Little Mermaid tale:
the little mermaid's hand holding the knife was shaking..
but next, she tossed away the knife into the waves..
the little mermaid's sight of the prince faded..
and she threw her body into the ocean
and the little mermaid turns into bubble and disappeared..

Funny thing is I thought the book looked so much like Alice In Wonderland. LOL Maybe I was wrong.

While I'm recovering from the drama aftermath, this is one of the sound track from it which I adore. It has two version and this is the female one. Enjoy people and good luck to me ^_^

Second Honeymoon by Joanna Trollope

It's hard to leave your safety cocoon but coming back after you have left the very house that you've grown up in proves even harder in this book.

The title is kinda soapy. Misleading in a way.

This novel is about what happen to parents (mothers particularly) when their kids grew up and leave the house. Kids looking forward to it but found life is not always rosy and how coming back to the very place you grew up in, somehow doesnt give you the same comfort or peace you craving for. How life was so much simpler then.

Rosa the second child lose her job
p112 Losing a job through retrench(even if you hate the job), when you are faced with rejection, in whatever situation and however deserved or undeserved, it wasnt just your confidence that suffered, it was your faith in the future, your ability to see that any effort you might make could be a tiny investment in what would happen to you there after; how pointless daily life seems when you cant see where you're going

When Ben the youngest child has to sleep on his parent's sofa
p355 ... the strangeness of the sofa didnt belong to the actual sofa: it belonged to the situation

My favourite
p149 It's like presents - the way people give you what they want to give you. It's a sort of conditional generosity

It was an okay read for me. It wasnt what I expected from the cover title.

p166 'You've become responsible forever, for what you have tamed'. Hmm... something to think about.

Remember Me

It was the evening of hubby's 40th birthday. We had birthday lunch earlier at Madam Kwan's in KLCC. Dinner was a function hosted by hubby's company where I had too much caffein hence the sleepless condition and I took out this VCD. Cried buckets. I tend to agree with the quotes from the movie. Would like to make it my mantra, if possible.



Whatever you do in life will be
insignificant
but it is very
important that you do it
because

You can't know

You can't ever really know the
meaning of your life

And you don't need to
Just know that your life has a meaning

Every life has a meaning
whether it lasts one hundred years or
one hundred seconds

Every life and every death
changes the world in its own way

Ghandi knew this.

He knew his life would mean something to someone,somewhere, somehow.
And he knew with as much certainty that hecould never know that meaning

He understood that enjoying life
should be of much greater concern
then understanding it.

And so do I.

You can't know

So don't take it for granted
But don't take it too seriously

Don't postpone what you want
Don't leave anything misunderstood
Make sure the people you care about know
Make sure they know how you really feel

Because just like that

IT COULD END

Some things will never change

By posting this pic, I'm showing off and owning to my hard to kick off obssesion of buying books even though I still have many unread titles in my possession.

My family was on our return trip from our hometown where I managed to persuade hubby to make a stop (a detour is more like it) to my favourite bookstore which I can never seem to get the route. BookAccess (the name of the store) is having it's Christmas sale and tell me who in their right mind can just ignore all these great and affordable books?

Well, maybe someone who already has about 24 (yet to read) books lol ... but that someone is not me :D

And now my list has added up to 28 yet to be read books that I own. Yup this is a disease. One that make you lose all sense of reasoning, what-so-ever. Hmm ... I thought only shoes and handbags can do that to you.

Through the Fire by Chaka Khan

Today is the first day of 2011. It started with Yasmin and Hadi engagement ceremony. It was sweet and simple and everybody had a good time, not to mention good food. Yasmin is hubby's eldest niece.

To the new engaged couple Yasmin & Hadi 'congratulation' and may this day be a start to many, many happy and meaningful occassions.

This is a beautiful song by Chaka Khan, I think it makes a good couple song too. *hint* I'm dedicating it to everyone.

Happy 2011.