zZZ and Relax, Dessert and Flowers

Went to sleep at 6:20am after finishing my letter to MinLaw. Thanks, D for being a slave driver. Hahaha. Woke up at 11am, the latest ever for me, especially with kids. :) Brought Juliane out as I had promised her. Had lunch at Sakae Sushi and browsed at Borders. All these while, I felt as if I was floating in the air. I was still in dire need of sleep!! Went straight to sleep again when I reached home. Don't worry, Juliane was already knocked out on the way home. Hahaha.




Finally, sent out the letter to MinLaw, after checking through it umpteen times. Now, I could settle down to read my Wolverine! Hahaha. It was slow-going as I have to recall the various mutants and their powers. It has been a while since I read X-Men comics. Thanks to D, who gave me a crash course and brought me up to date with The Hand, Hydra, Shield, Nick Fury, Elektra. Otherwise, I would have been totally lost while reading Wolverine: Enemy of the State. Hahaha.

We went to Takashimaya after dinner. Well, not to shop. My main purpose was to visit the library. Hahaha. I had to return Ultimate Fantastic Four comics so that D can borrow his New X-Men. The girls enjoyed wandering in the library. Hmm... but I found they were gravitating towards the cafe. Don't worry, I shall bring them to downtown NLB, no cafe within the library. LOL =) Since we were already at Taka, might as well go for dessert at Aji Tei Dessert House. Yar, I just can't resist sweets! Hahaha.



After dessert, the girls wanted to buy some flowers. My husband was like, "Buy flowers for what?!". Huh? What's wrong with buying flowers? No wonder, in 8 years, (since the time we started dating to now, being married), he has only given me flowers 3 times. Ok, I am quite a practical person and would much prefer practical presents, like book vouchers. But, hey, I am still a girl. Of course, I don't expect him to give me flowers on every special occasion. Once in a long while though, it would be nice if he suddenly surprises me with flowers, right?! Hahaha. Get the hint?

Comic Fans

During my msn chatting with good friend, D (during the wee hours of this morning), I only then realised the extent of his craze for comics too! Now that's two friends I know, D and SA, who are huge comic fans. Ok, one I still don't exactly know his identity. Hahaha.

After lunch, D brought me to Queenstown Library for a quick look at the Comics there. Well, Queenstown library is the nearest community library to my home. But because I don't drive, it would actually be more convenient for me to go to downtown NLB or Taka Library. D kindly passed me one of the comics that he has borrowed: Wolverine - Enemy of the State. I could only borrow two more before I maxed out my library card: Justice League of America - New World Order and The Sandman - Vol 1. Pitying me, D borrowed on my behalf: Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol 1. He is such a good friend. Really. :) When he tried to borrow his reserved New X-Men, he found that he had maxed out his library quota of 8 books!! Can you imagine his horror?? Sorry, D!! :P Starbucks coffee on me. I will return Ultimate Fantastic Four as soon as possible. Hahaha.

At the moment, I am trying to write a letter to the government. Trying to finish it soon so that I can get back to my Fantastic Four and then Wolverine... to my comics! Hahaha.

PS. I have been told not many girls read comics or are comic fans. I ain't that odd, right, am I?! Hahaha.

Updated 12 May 2007, 3:56am.
I am still awake trying to write my letter to MinLaw. My friend is also struggling to write his letter. Forge on, Fellow Activist! Hahaha. Btw, I finished reading Ultimate Fantastic Four amidst my writing. Hahaha. So much for concentration on the writing of the letter. Hahaha.

"The Cabinet of Curiosities" by Preston & Child

Since I can't sleep, might as well join the "party" and stay up the night. Hahaha. Spent the first half of the night msn chatting with a good friend till about 4am. Then proceeded with my book. Left about 170 pages, might as well finish it. At 5am, the book was finito!

Again, what can I say about it, except for exciting, exciting, EXCITING!! Agent Pendergast is like Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: the cool, calm appearance; insightful observations and deductions; the intellectual prowess; ... The story started with the grisly discovery of 36 bodies at a NYC construction site - all were murdered and mutilated back in 1870. The race was on to catch the killer when murders using the same modus operandi started happening again. Now was it a copycat killer or was it the killer, back from the past to continue his mayhem?! That's for me to know and for you to find out. Hahaha. Go read it!

I like this one because it brings to mind Jack the Ripper, a murderer (he was never identified) in the late 19th century in London; and The French Ripper aka Joseph Vacher, another serial murderer in the late 19th century. Yes, as you can see, my interest can be quite morbid at times. Scared yet?? Muahahaha!

Sleepless, Conspiracy theory, Wakeful rested...

It was sleepless for me last night. I tried reading. It was gripping for a while but my concentration didn't last long. I gave up reading as Pendergast was too good to be wasted like that. I was in this state of exhaustion, over-exhaustion that sleep just refused to come forth. Tried watching television but nothing interesting. Emailed good friend who is in a habit of staying up late. Checked on the girls who were sleeping. It was 3am and I still couldn't sleep. Tick, tick, tick, ...
A flurry of activities early in the morning at 6:30am. The younger girl was up and singing to me. NO!!! I had only just closed my eyes and I had to get up. Sigh. I was the walking unrested this morning.

Went to school for counselling this morning. Took a taxi down. The taxi uncle was in a talkative mood and started on the conspiracy theory of our gahmen. Huh?? Conspiracy theory? Our gahmen? My mind in a mush from severe lack of sleep... do I have to listen to this?!
Our gahmen, conspiracy theory, ?? Ok, to me: Abraham Lincoln, conspiracy theory, yes. JFK, conspiracy theory, yes. Martin Luther King, conspiracy theory, yes. Watergate, conspiracy theory, yes. October Surprise (1980), conspiracy theory, yes. Conspiracy Theory (movie), conspiracy theory, yes. ENBLOC craze, conspiracy theory, yes. Our gahmen, conspiracy theory, what do you think?? No comment! lol

Wanted to stay awake in the afternoon so that I can sleep early tonight. Darn! No such luck. Sleep came at the wrong time! Fell asleep and slept for 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5 hours! That's more than I had slept the whole of last night. My sleep cycle is now confirmed in a total wreck. It seems I am becoming one of those nocturnal creatures that I love reading about and watching - sleep by day and walk by night. Hahaha. LOL. It is going to be a long, LONG night again.

SO whoever is sleepless tonight, there's me. I will keep you company! That's what friends are for. =)

28 Hours Later...

Within 28 hours ...

Not enough sleep. Mood: Foul.

My paper has been re-written. Sent to PI and has been okay-ed. Mood: Foul but getting better.

My slides has been re-done. Sent to PI . PI changed mind and wanted something taken out which PI originally wanted in. Mood: Getting foul again.

I re-did the slides again for the third time! Sent to PI and has been okay-ed. Mood: Foul but getting better again.

Needed to get out of office! Asked a good friend if he was still interested, if he could see "28 Weeks Later" TODAY. Good friend said possible. Mood: Getting better.

Good friend called after his meeting and we left for GV Grand. Mood: Getting better and better.

Watched "28 Weeks Later", ate sweet popcorn. Mood: Never felt better!

Good friend showed me the comics he borrowed from the library! Mood: Pensive.

28 hours later: work done, had company of good friend, saw "28 Weeks Later". Mood: Happy!

"28 Weeks Later" is not too bad but I think I preferred the first one, "28 Days Later". I anticipated what would happen. It has kind of lost the element of surprise/ horror for me. Just wondering, will they come up with "28 Months Later"??

PS. Thanks for your company and friendship, D.

Updated 10 May 2007, 12:20am.
I am feeling really tired but I can't get to sleep. Have you ever felt this way before? Since I can't sleep, I did the next best thing, reading. Half way through "The Cabinet of Curiosities" now... really gripping... Looks like sleep is going to be evasive again tonight...

Stuck in my mind

Since talking with SA about chick flicks, I can't get the last "chick flick" I saw out of my mind.

It is "The Lake House". "The Lake House" must have strike a chord in my heart a lot deeply than I realised! I can almost hear the song from the movie: "(I Can't Seem To) Make You Mine". It is a good story about love transcending time and space...

What's wrong with me? How come I am feeling melancholic all of a sudden??

Updated 9 May 2007, 1:14am.
Ok, feeling much better now. Was feeling gloomy over the extra work that I have to do (through no fault of mine!). I managed to re-write the paper. One down, another to go - the slides. Wonder if I can keep awake until I finish my slides? I can only dream. Wait, am I awake or asleep?! Hahaha.

"Geum-Soon"-Marieann and "Geum-Soon"-Juliane

Have any of you been watching the Korean show "Be Strong, Geum-Soon!" ("加油, 金顺!") on Channel U? Just for the benefit of those who haven't watched the show, it is about a young widow and single mother, Geum-Soon, who works as a hairdresser. She is a kind-hearted girl who never becomes discouraged or blames other people - no matter what happens in her life.

Well, my girls have been following the show. They are crazy about the show and the sassy dress sense of Geum-Soon. Whenever they are free, they would be playing hairdresser, trying to be like Geum-Soon and experimenting with each other's hair to make it as outrageous as possible. Here are the results of their hair experimentation during the weekend.

When they are tired of messing with each other's hair, they looked for the next victim, opps, I mean "client". Can't hurt their feelings, right?! Hahaha. Guess who?! Yup, ME!!! I have to make sure there are no scissors around because Juliane would really give you a hair-cut! Hahaha. Sorry, no photo to show how I looked because I really looked like a crazy fool with all the different hair pins sticking all over my hair!!! I still have an image to protect, ok?! Hahaha.

Frustration!

Frustration, frustration, frustration!

I submitted a paper yesterday that is due today. Finished it a day earlier. Happy! I started to do up some slides based on the paper I submitted yesterday, almost finishing. Happy! All seems to be going well. I am ahead of my work schedule…, am I, really?!

My principal investigator (PI) wanted something to be added into the slides. Ok, no problem, I just have to retrieve that data from another colleague. It was then I realised what my PI gave me to write for the paper didn’t correspond to what my colleague has. Apparently, my PI has two versions of the data and I might have been given the wrong version! ARGH! All my work for the paper and for the slides might have just gone down the drain. I am NOT happy. Still waiting for my PI to respond, I can’t do anything until then.

My PI just responded. I have to re-do everything! Looks like I have to stay up LATE tonight. And I was just laughing at someone who has to stay up last night to prepare some slides for presentation. Retribution or what?! Hahaha

Tonight, I will be working LATE!!! No rest for the "wicked". Hahaha. So feel free to drop in for a chat!

Updated 8 May 2007, 7:23pm
Friend said the moral of my story is: "Next time, don't finish your work ahead of time". Makes sense?! Hahaha.

Something Wrong...

Someone mentioned that my kids seemed to have disappeared from my blog. Well, not to worry, they are still around. Trust me. Hahaha. I guess I should have mentioned it but I slipped my mind to do so. My oversight. Sorry :(

I am currently experiencing some posting problems with my blog since Friday. I have not been able to upload images/ photos onto my posts, not able to change font colour/ size, not able to change alignment, etc, etc. Yes, it has been REALLY frustrating for me! And me not being very IT-savvy, makes it all the worse. For me, it is either all or nothing. I guess there is a perfectionist streak in me. Hahaha.

I really hope I can resolve the posting problem soon so that we can all have some photos to look at. =) Cross your fingers and toes too! Hahaha.

PS. Anyone out there who have resolved similar posting problems, please let me know the solution. Thanks.

Updated 8 May 2007, 8:00pm
Yippee!!!! Posting problem solved. I can start uploading photos and changing font colour again. Thanks for bearing with me.

Spiderman 3 and NLB

As planned last night, I went to see "Spiderman 3" at 10:15am, Lido. I had wanted to go to Bugis initially but I was running late. So the nearest cinema, I went. Morning is a good time to watch movies because there aren't many people around. It was just me, my sweet popcorn and Spiderman. Hahaha.

"Spiderman 3" is definitely better than the first two in terms of character development, and much more action sequences. You now have two villains instead of the usual one villain - Sandman and Venom. I used to read Spiderman comics and I remembered reading about Venom. I was interested to see how they would portray it in the movie.
Overall, "Spiderman 3" is action-packed and exciting. There's action and there's a story line of secret, vengeance, love and forgiveness. What more can you ask for. Hahaha. The only downside, to me at least, was that the ending seemed to be a little too abrupt and too good to be true. Maybe they ran out of time to do a proper wrap-up, after all the movie went for 140 minutes. I shan't say anymore in case I give away more than I should of the story. The soundtrack is quite good too, especially the song "Signal Fire" by Snow Patrol. Yes, I sat there in the darkness until the end of the credits. I have too much time, some of you would say. Hahaha.

There are two scenes that are stuck in my mind from "Spiderman 3":
- the one where Spiderman (in black) was on the church spire like a gargoyle - it was a very powerful imagery that spoke louder than words and actions, there just so much emotion in that simple image, and
- the one (at the end) where Peter (Spiderman) and Harry spoke about being friends, best friends. I am touched by this scene because I am one person who treasures friendship very much.

After the movie, I went down to NLB. Yes, again. Hahaha. I went to return my books as well as to borrow more books. I took SA's suggestions and borrowed two books by Preston & Child: "The Cabinet of Curiosities" and "Dance of Death"
I also borrowed a third book, "Freakonomics" for my friend. (There's no way I would read such books. It's on a subject that I really dislike - economics. Hahaha.)

Just an aside: it is really amazing how the blog can actually connect people together. After my post last night, I have got a friend asking me to let him know when I am going to see "28 Weeks Later" and another who asked me to help get him the book from NLB.

Thank you, my friends for reading my blog. Greatly appreciated it. =)

PS. I have started reading "The Cabinet of Curiosities". :)

Two at a Time

I am always doing two things at a time. It is a habit since young - listening to music while doing homework, while studying. Of course, got told off by parents. But I just couldn't change. Now older, I'm watching television while doing my work or writing. Like right now, I am watching "Ultraviolet" while writing my post. Hahaha.

As I have mentioned before, I am someone who needs to be "on move" mentally. I get very bored if I am concentrating on just one thing. I actually do better or focus better when I am doing two things at a time. A paradox, huh? So it is not unusual for me to be: writing and watching tv, writing and listening to music, writing and msn-ing, writing and emailing, writing and blogging, reading and watching tv, reading and listening to music, reading and msn-ing, reading and blogging, ... You get the picture. Hahaha.

Now that I have finished my books (which I only borrowed on Friday), I am bored again. I guess I will do some work later tonight. Since I don't have to go in for counselling tomorrow, I will be staying up late. So again, if anyone is still awake or bored as well, keep me company via my email, msn, or blog, ok? Will be waiting. Hahaha :)

PS. Since I don't have to work tomorrow, I think I shall go for a movie. I think I have an inkling what I may watch. But let's see if a friend can correctly guess what I would watch. Hahaha. So, SA, want to make a guess? LOL :)

Updated 7 May 2007, 12:50am
SA guessed correctly. I will be going to watch Spiderman 3. I would have gone for 2 movies if 28 Weeks Later is out. Too bad, they are only showing the sneak on Tuesday 8 May. Hahaha. Yippee, can eat popcorn. Hahaha.

"Area 7" by Matthew Reilly

6 May, 1700 hours: Target "Area 7" taken out. Mission status: Accomplished.

"Area 7" is a sequel to "Ice Station", featuring (again) Shane Schofield, a US Marine whose callsign is Scarecrow. This time round, he is stuck in an American Air Force secret base, known as Area 7, hidden deep in the Utah desert. He has to protect the President of the United States who was visiting the base when all hell broke lose. Again, there are many detailed combat/ action scenes throughout the book involving various weapons, aircrafts (CH-53E Super Stallion, AH-77 Penetrator), speedboats, ... Air Force vs Secret Service, South African vs Air Force, US Marines vs Air Force ... Action, action, action, there is not a dull moment.

Again, guys would like this book better than gals for all the action! Although Schofield is the hero in the book, he didn't do it alone. He has a good team of Marines under his command. Two of them were from"Ice Station" too. So there are some character developments as well. But not to worry, "Area 7" can be a stand alone book too, without having read "Ice Station" as Reilly did a good job of describing briefly the various characters and events that took place in "Ice Station", without giving away too much.

I guess what I like about Reilly is that he doesn't make his characters (Schofield in Ice Station, Area 7; Jack West in Seven Ancient Wonders) into a one-man mission who takes on the whole world or something. No, he doesn't make them into macho freaks. Thank goodness, or I would have ditched his books in a second. Hahaha. His characters are down to earth and I really like the themes of friendship, loyalty, honour and courage that run through in his books. So, SA, you know now, why I like Reilly.

Enough said about the author. "Area 7" is a page turner too so don't read it before going to bed. :) If you want something full of action and adventure, "Area 7" it is.

"Brimstone" by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

"Brimstone". What an adrenalin rush! Your description has been so apt!! Pendergast is like Sherlock Holmes but with more speed. Pendergast has got the same kind of intellectual prowess, same deductive reasoning skills, and the same kind of astute observation. He also has a loyal friend, D'Agosta, just like Sherlock Holmes has Dr. Watson. For those of you who enjoy reading Sherlock Holmes, you won't go wrong reading Preston & Child's Pendergast series!

"Brimstone" started with a gruesome murder which seemed to be committed by something from another realm. From there, the action just kept snowballing, together with plenty of twists and turns, and surprises too. There is not a slow moment in "Brimstone". You won't be able to resist reading just one more page, and just one more chapter. You won't be able to put the book down until you have finished it. So be warned, if you want to read "Brimstone", make sure you don't read it just before bed or you will find yourself staring at sunrise when you are done with the book. =)

Now, I can't wait to go on to the second book!

PS. SA, I have got lots of questions for you. Get in touch!

Reading, First Month, Headache, Reading

Reading. I started reading "Brimstone" late last night or rather early this morning. It is very engaging. Page after page, chapter after chapter. I just couldn't put the book down! However, I was defeated by sleep around 2am. I woke up at 3am to find the book still in my hands. Hahaha. I continued reading when I woke up this morning. Thank goodness, I didn't have to work.

First Month. Today is Johanna's first month celebration. My cousins invited us for lunch at their condo's function room. But in the end, only I went as husband was not well. It was also catching up time with my other cousins and relatives (most of my relatives are overseas, either in Malaysia (father's side) or Taiwan (mother's side)).

Headache. After lunch, I started having a bad headache. I realised it was the catered food. The food must have had tons of MSG in them. I am allergic to MSG. And worse, I am also allergic to painkillers such as Panadol and Aspirin so I can't take anything to relieve my headache. Sigh. I could only drink lots of water and try to have a little rest. I hate headaches.

Reading. After a little nap, I felt much better. On with my reading! Hahaha. Of course lah. A little headache is not going to stop me from reading. I am so close to the end now. Hahaha. My dear friend, I will let you know what I think of Brimstone really soon. So stay tuned!

An Impromptu Visit

The weekend is upon me. I just want to relax this weekend. What am I going to do? I have an idea...

I made an impromptu visit to the NLB after work! I thought why not?! It is not like I have something to do at home. My writing is on track. My work is more or less done. I have finished reading my "Ice Station". I am going to be sooooooo BORED. So off to the library to borrow some books!

Armed with the book list that SA passed me a week ago. I made my way down to the library via MRT. Being not very good with directions, I got a bit lost at Bugis cos I couldn't find the right entrance out to the library. Hahaha. Or maybe it was my subconscious who wanted me "lost" so that I would wonder among the shops a while longer. HAHAHA.

I found the books I wanted at the library. It took me quite a while to decide which ones to borrow. I didn't want to get too many books and end up not being able to finish them. By the way, SA, Reilly's "Seven Ancient Wonders" is out on loan. But you still have the option of borrowing from me. :D Hahaha. I thought I might also borrow a graphic novel or two. But I ended up really lost cos I didn't know the sequence of which ones to borrow first. SA, could use an advice or two on this. Feel kinda stupid. :P Hahaha.

I borrowed two books in the end:
Preston and Child's "Brimstone" of the Pendergast series (SA's recommendation) and Reilly's "Area 7" (which features the same hero, Schofield from "Ice Station").

I am so HAPPY to be reading again. =)

PS. Don't worry. I always have time to chat with friends. So feel free to contact me via my email, MSN or my blog. Will be up late as usual. Hahaha. Talk to you later.

Updated 5 May 2007, 1:37am
I started reading "Brimstone". And I haven't been able to put the book down since 11:30pm. Darn! Am I not going to get any sleep tonight?! Hahaha. Aiyo. I am going to have panda eyes! Hahaha.

"Ice Station" by Matthew Reilly

3 May 2210 hours: Mission accomplished. Target: "Ice Station" eliminated.

Yup, I have finished reading the book "Ice Station". Hahaha. As the title suggested, it is a story about an ice station, Wilkes Station in Antarctica. Strange things (yes again, if not there won't be a story to tell, hahaha) are happening under the ice station, beneath the ice shelf. It has US Marines, elite military teams from France and Britain, and US SEAL fighting for a secret buried under the ice. There are some pretty good and engaging accounts of combat scenes, and weaponry used. There were also a few fighter aircrafts mentioned such as F-22, F-117A, B-2A and E-2000.

Hmm...I think guys would enjoy reading this book more than gals. Hey, don't get me wrong. I didn't say it is a book for the guys because I didn't like the book. In fact, I ENJOYED reading the book because I am no stranger to fighter aircrafts, combat scenes as those described in the book. I think all these are interesting! Yes, I have been told I am a strange one, for a girl to have such boyish likings. Hahaha. So yes, I think guys would like this book for the above mentioned elements and I know there aren't that many girls who like stuff like that. For example, I haven't found anyone I can talk fighter aircrafts with, other than my guy friends. Sorry, I side tracked easily. Hahaha.

Yes, "Ice Station" has been non-stop action almost since the first few pages right up to the end. There are many chapters (but each one is only of a few pages long) and each one is a cliff hanger. You won't be able to put the book down once you have started on it! Good luck.

Have fun reading this one. Hwei Ming out.

PS. Now that I have finished my book, it's back to writing. So if anyone is out there with nothing better to do, feel free to drop in. I will welcome the distraction to chat ANYTIME. Hahaha.

Sleep... zzZZ

Ok, it's confirmed. It is okay to read the whole night through when you DON'T have to work the next day! I am suffering now at work. All I can think of is sleep. Served me right, I guess. Lack of will power when it comes to a good book. Hahaha.

But actually, I am also thinking of "Ice Station" - how will the story end?! Can only do that tonight. How many more hours to go before knock-off time? Counting down the hours now. 5 hours ... ... zzZ zZZ. No, I am awake. Hahaha.

Almost forgot, got a Team-building High Tea Buffet session at Royal Plaza Hotel, Scotts Road from 3:30 to 5:30pm. Hmm... it's opposite Far East Plaza, where Sunny is. Can take a walk over to see what Sunny has. HAHAHA. Only joking. I will only be there to return "The Swarm".

PS. Should be able to finish "Ice Station" by tonight, before or past midnight, depending on what time I get home after the high tea. Will let you know how the story is. =)

Updated 3 May 2007, 7:30pm
The international high tea buffet was actually quite good. A stroke of luck for us too because they are having a promotion this month but from Mondays to Thursdays only - when there are three guests, you pay for two only. Not bad, huh. =)

Ok, I am going back to my book now. Be good, let me finish it and I will let know you what it is all about. Talk to you later. ;)

Work or read? Eenie meeni minie moe ...

I thought I would take a little break by just reading a FEW pages of "Ice Station" by Matthew Reilly before working on my papers (due on Friday for work). I thought I would have the will power to put the book down. I thought I was strong enough. I thought ... WRONG!

Now I am stuck. I have to write but I can't put the book down. So how? Work or read? Eenie meeni minie moe... Ok, READ it is! No, I didn't cheat. Hahaha. For those of you who are avid readers, I am sure you know how I feel. Hahaha.

"Ice Station" is really engaging. The action started on page 12. Now, I'm on page 99 and the action is still on-going. How to put the book down, you tell me?! Hahaha.

Don't worry, I will do my work later tonight. It's too hard to put the book down now, let me just read a little more, just a little more and no more, I promise. I will be burning the midnight oil tonight. So if anyone is still awake during the unearthly hours of the morning, feel free to drop in (a comment or two) to keep me company. Hahaha.

Ok, back to my book. Talk to you later. =)

Updated 3 May 2007, 2:16am
Happiness! I have finished one paper. Another paper to go. Since I have another day to do it, I will ... go back to my reading of "Ice Station". Hahaha. Besides, my mind is too wound up by the writing to go to sleep now, reading before bed will help me to wind down, never mind that it is a thriller. Hahaha. =)

"The Swarm" by Frank Schätzing

Yippie! I have finally finished reading "The Swarm" by Frank Schätzing. It is a really heavy going book, 881 pages and really tiny lines, height of only 0.3 cm. I know, I measured. Hahaha.

"The Swarm" is a book translated from German and it is segmented into five parts. It is quite slow going at first (or it could be me with reading such tiny lines, hahaha) but it slowly built up its momentum from the 2nd part onwards. It is difficult to put the book down once the action starts to set in. It is an ecological thriller about strange things that are going on in the oceans and scientists are rushing to solve the mystery and save the world. I shan't say anymore about the plot. :)

Oh yes, I find this book really different from the usual thriller is that it actually provokes you to think as well, with its epilogue. It makes you question about some beliefs which most of us take for granted, in a philosophical kind of way. I think it is good that all of us are made to think like this once in a while. Hahaha.

So for those of you who are interested in ecology and into thriller, this book is for you. But word of caution, it is best to read the book in one shot if you can or you would find yourself re-reading portions of the book because you have lapsed too long in between the readings and forgotten bits of the story (which was what happened to me!). So make sure you have lots of time on your hand before you embark on reading this book. You have been warned. :)

Ok, next book on my list: "Ice Station" by Matthew Reilly.

PS. I will probably be visiting the NL after this Reilly book, especially now that I know NL has comics and graphic novels there. That would make someone happy. Hahaha.

Labour Day, May Day, Beltane, Full Moon

A number of holidays are being celebrated today on May 1st.
* Labour Day, which we are all familiar with, is a result of the efforts of the labour union movement. A day of REST for all of us. =)
* May Day is also the first day of summer. Too bad, we can't appreciate it as much as it is almost summer the whole year round in Singapore.
* For those familiar with Wicca, Beltane is also celebrated on May Day. Plus, a full moon today, the moon's energy is at its most intense, any magical effort can benefit greatly from the potency of this phrase. Not a very frequent occasion, that's for sure.

We met up with our friend, Hoon again for lunch at nydc, Wheelock Place. We had vegetarian food today because it is 15th of the lunar month. But the the main course for us were, yup, you guessed it, the DESSERTS! Hahaha. We shared among us:
Jedi Mudster - double chocolate chip ice cream, macadamia nut ice cream with oreo cookie crust, and cookie chunks.
Irish Cream Mudpie - French vanilla ice cream, double chocolate chip ice cream with bailey, and oreo cookie crust.
Cookie Monster Mudpie - double chocolate chip ice cream, mocha almond fudge ice cream, and oreo cookie crust.
Pineapple Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting.

We were all SMILES at the end of the meal!




PS. We browsed at Borders for a while. Lots of people, guessed it could be because of the May Day holidays and also the "30% off a book" promotion which ends today.