R & R

Did some R & R. Not rest and relax but reviewing and reading. I was reviewing the reviews I have received as a book review editor and as a break from reviewing, I was reading my favourite genre - supernatural in Chinese language. :) 

Hazardous Haze PSI > 450

This has got to be the worse ever haze situation in Singapore with the one-hour PM2.5 levels reading spiking at 471! It is reported that the Indonesian forest fires are also spreading to new areas and unlikely to be put out until next year in 2016. :O :O :O  

A Distant Tarot Dream

I came across a free tarot reading Facebook page. Having experience in tarot reading, I decided to try it out. It was pretty good with details. :) 
I was into tarot reading in the 1990s and early 2000s. I used to read tarot for my friends who claimed that I am very accurate! Lol. I used to have a dream - to open a lemon cheesecake cafe with tarot reading on the side. :) Alas, it is a distant dream now... 

For Reading Pleasure

I bought three new books for the girls. 
Two are fiction books in the genre that the girls enjoy - horror, suspense and mystery. Once they are done with reading them, I want to read them too. :)
The third book is a gamble. With Marieann taking History now in secondary school, I thought the non-fiction book with its nuggets of facts and historical events may pique her interest. I wish I had something like that to interest me when I first started learning History. 

1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
2. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
3. Tales of Old Singapore: The glorious past of Asia's greatest emporium by Iain Manley

Reading for Pleasure

Finally had the chance to catch up on my reading after all the stressful exams. :P

New Adventures Needed

I need new adventures! To read!! :)
I finished reading 8 books in the Event Group Adventure series by David Goleman in one and a half month. There is a 9th Event Group book but I can anticipate that I will finish it no time. I need to find other thriller/ adventure series to read. Ok, James Rollins has a new book out, The 6th Extinction but I still need new series to read so that I can be occupied while waiting for the new release(s) from my favourite series. :P

New Read

Just discovered a new series of books to read. It's the Event Group Adventure series by David Goleman. It has the mystery, the action, the adventure, the mystics that I enjoy. :) Just started on the first book, Event and I haven't been able to put it down. :)

Read This

Nothing better than to see my favourite author, James Rollins' books with a  "READ THIS"! :)

Seen at the bookshop, Changi International Airport.

New Novel

Finally, one of my favourite author has a new book out! 
The Kill Switch by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood
It is a Sigma Force novel featuring the two new characters who first appeared in the novel, Bloodline - Tucker Wayne and his military working dog, Kane. Can't wait to start reading it! :)  

Childhood Memories: Ouke no Monshou Manga (尼罗河的女儿 or 王家の紋章)

One of my precious childhood memories is reading manga. As I mentioned previously in my blog post, 
Manga, I started reading manga as a child when I visited Taiwan annually. Unfortunately I can only read manga in Taiwan as Singapore didn't have such manga books then. No matter how many manga I have read, I always remember the first manga series I ever read which was a rage then in Taiwan. Its Chinese translated name is 尼罗河的女儿 or 王家の紋章 or its Japanese name, Ouke no Monshou (English translated name, Daughter of the Nile). Every year I go back to Taiwan, I have to reread the series from start but I would never finish reading because by then there would have been additional volumes that came out during the year of absence. Actually, to date, I have NOT finish reading the Ouke no Monshou Manga series (尼罗河的女儿 or 王家の紋章)!

I managed to find Manga (尼罗河的女儿 or 王家の紋章) translated into English and hosted on some of the manga websites. :) However, I am now back to reading it in Chinese (on Chinese manga websites) as there were some missing chapters and volumes on the English websites. Reading it in Chinese definitely brings me back to my childhood with the exception that I can NOW read it openly in front of my mother without her scolding me about reading rubbish! Lol. She only rolled her eyes. :P
By the way, Ouke no Monshou (尼罗河的女儿) is still on-going!! After so many years lol. :P      

Manga

I first came into contact with manga when I was in lower primary. My Taiwanese cousins introduced me to them when I visited them during my annual trips to Taiwan. :) I remember my cousins used to rent/ borrow stacks of manga for me to read whenever I went back to Taiwan and I would read them secretly as my mother didn't approve of me reading manga, usually about teen love lol. :P (It was through reading manga that I am able to read traditional Chinese characters and still can! :D) Reading manga was one of the highlights for me when I went back to Taiwan. Sadly, I stopped reading manga when I was in my late teens as my trips back to Taiwan became less frequent due to schooling. 
However, of late, I have started reading manga again and rediscovering the joy and love of my childhood. :) 

Recap

James Rollins' new book "The Eye of God", which is the latest in the Sigma Force series, was released in June. However, I cannot recall what had happened in "Bloodline" which was the previous novel in the Sigma Force series. No harm reading Bloodline again to recap so that I can read "The Eye of God". :)

Stressless Day (Nearly Entirely)

There is no counselling today because primary schools are closed due to PSLE Marking this week. After yesterday's physical work, I took it really easy today. I did nothing except read and sleep for most part of the day lol. It was really relaxing. :)

In between reading and sleeping, I went through math with Marieann as her math exam is next Monday. Somehow, she is still not stressed about exams. Sigh. This was the only stressful part of my stressless day.

Rainy Day

It's just something about rainy days that makes one want to curl up in bed and read a good novel. :) I did just that today haha. It was raining and it made the day quite cold. I finished reading Rollins' The Doomsday Key and Fallon's Harshini. Both were really gripping novels. Time just past without me realising lol.

PS. I will review the books later. :)

Reading Day

It's the school holidays so I don't have counselling today. I spent the day just reading, actually re-reading my novels lol. I actually have a stack of novels on my bedside table, a stack of 8-10 novels by some of my favourite authors: Matthew O'Reilly, JK Rowling, Preston and Child, and Laurell Hamilton. Before I sleep, I would pick one of the novels and read, unless of course I happen to be reading a new novel. :)

I love reading. Especially novels that I have really enjoyed, I don't mind reading them again. I will never get bored of them.

Reading

Started reading one of my favourite genre again - thriller.

There is a new book by Lincoln Child, Terminal Freeze. So far, it has been pretty engaging. :) Give me another day, I should be finished with it. Yes, yes, I know, I should be writing instead of reading lol. But hey, it's the weekend, let me relax ok? Hahaha. :P

Slow Day

It has been a really slow day but I managed to finish reading my articles and I guess I could start making revision to my dissertation. Now comes the hard part, remembering which article goes where and which parts I want to quote since I have about 30 articles lol. :P Wish me luck.

We didn't go out today as I wanted to finish my reading. But we watched The Mummy 3 DVD lol.

Last Day of 2008

I did nothing. Absolutely NOTHING so far.

I was home the entire day. I was trying to read articles and do some writing. But I got depressed just looking at the amount of articles I have to read. My mood got better when I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. :) When I saw the 5-inch thick stack of articles I still have to plough through, my mood darkened again. :(

Guess I will have to do work on the last day of 2008. Instead of partying into the new year, it is reading into the new year for me.

Tarot Reading

Hmm, haven't touched my tarot cards in a while. My best friend, Min was asking why didn't I bring it to Australia so that I could do some readings for fun? Yar, didn't think of it. :)

Since it is often not accurate when I do the readings for myself (but have been accurate when I do it for others), I decided to let Blogthings do my reading, haha.

You Are The Wheel of Fortune

You represent the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. You embrace change, the ups and downs of life. Fate is something you accept, even when you could possibly change things. Big things tend to happen to you more than other people. Your fortune: Something huge is about to happen in your life, and you have little control over it. You must accept your destiny, but luckily it is good fortune that has come your way. Big things and big changes are about to come your way. And while things will be intense for a while, they will be followed by a period of rest.

What Tarot Card Are You?

What can I say? It is pretty good, specially in view of what is going to happen soon. :)

Reading

* Reading for Work
I stayed home today to do some readings about conceptual change for my work. I have done a couple of them last week. I just have a few more to go through. Hopefully by tomorrow, I can glanced through all that I have read to make some kind of connections between them. Wish me luck.

*Reading for Leisure
I started reading HP7 again a few days ago. As with the first time I read it, I cried at the same places again. I thought I was prepared for it but I guessed not, lol. The first shedding of tears was when HP was re-living Snape's memories where Snape showed Dumbledore his Patronus. The second time was the final duel between HP and Voldemort where HP spoke of Snape's love for his mother, Lily Evans. Sigh. Yes, I know I am such a romantic and sentimental fool.