Twilight Saga : Breaking Dawn Part 1

It's finally here. The long awaited Breaking Dawn but unfortunately they're breaking it into 2 parts. These people really know how to cash in the money. It has been so long since I finished the book that I could only recall certain details of the storyline. I am waiting with bated breath on how the producer is gonna film the .. uh.. um.. bed scene between the 2 popular good looking stars, making it 'interesting' enough to capture the attention of the audience and yet at the same time, has to take into consideration that this movie will be watched by teens, young teens, very very young teens and kids. I would've dash to the cinema this weekend if only I'm in town. Yes, I am very tempted to take a day off  to watch during the weekday but I guess I gotta remove this insane idea from my head. In the end,  the movie has to wait till next weekend. I have a pretty good hunch that it will stay in cinema for long. Um... I probably will be watching it alone again as with the past Twilight episodes...  No sweat coz I've the whole popcorn and coke drink to myself :)

Big Bad Wolf is back for the 4th Time !!

Yo, book lovers out there. The Big Bad Wolf is back and it's even bigger than previous year. I was lucky to have won the preview pass and then 2 days later, even luckier to have won a 5 min shopping spree 'powered' by OCBC. My heartfelt thanks to OCBC for randomly selecting me, to BBW for organizing and making the BBW possible this year (otherwise there won't be such a contest going on) and lastly I thank God for blessing me with abundance luck to have been chosen as one of the 10 winners. The last of the 10 actually.

As with last year, the books were priced at a crazily low, mind blowing and unbelievable price. Now I know why they have chosen MAEPS to hold the bookfair. The place is huge, filled with books and all sorts of books. My colleague tagged along with me under my preview pass and she was so engrossed with her frenzied shopping till I had to drag her off at 4.30pm. We practically browsed the books for a good 5 hours, with no food and no drink. No wonder I was suffering a massive headache at the end of it.

See the books in the bag? Well.. I grabbed these in 5 minutes and... they are all free. Yes, FREE.. all of 'em. Yahooo!!

And here's a better look of my loot. My freebies, whatever you call it.

It's really worthwhile to make a trip there.  Since Christmas is just round the corner, they'll make fine Christmas presents. Shoo .. go there now before it ends. BBW starts from 7th - 16th Oct.

Just go the below pix from my colleague who snapped a photo of me with my winnings :D
Thanks, Chia Ling.

Welcoming 2011

I can't believe another year is gone. Just wanna wish everyone here a very Happy New Year. I hope 2010 had been great year for everyone but if not all, let's just cast away the unpleasant memories and embrace 2011 with open arms. For me 2010 was just like any other year. It was just work , work and more office work but despite the hectic schedule I had, I managed to squeeze in time to do what I enjoy doing most : baking, cooking, lots of reading, lots of tv, blogging , visiting my lovable nieces in Singapore and finally, finding time to go for a few short break with hubby. It seems like an 'in' thing to set a resolution with the start of a new year because almost everyone I know seems to be doing so. For me, I too have an unwavering agenda; an agenda to have something I have yearn to have for a long long time but seems to be beyond my grasp. If you have known me better, I am not one to give up easily without a fight or resistance. In God, I believe. In determination, I believe. In hope, I believe. And lastly, with utmost sincerity, I believe God will bestow. So, don't give up on whatever you hope to have. Do what you wanna do for a long time without further delay. Treasure your loved ones and cherish what you have now. Finally, remember to cherish each and every moment of the time you have. 

Happy New Year, Everyone.

The Big Bad Wolf Sale (12 - 17 Nov 2010)

Yes, the Big Bad Wolf Sale is back and it's badder than ever! That was the slogan staring back at me when I flipped through The Star paper 2 days ago. I wasn't as enthusiastic this time round because I've recently bought some books and what's more, the recent trip to Seoul made me almost a pauper. It came as a surprise to me this morning when out of the blue, hubby suggested that we have the famous Ubin Fish Head Noodle in Seri Kembangan and then proceed to The Big Bad Wolf Sale in South City Plaza. In the years I've known him, he has not once suggested to visit a bookstore, let alone a booksale because he's just not into books like me. Seri Kembangan sounds remotely far to me but I went anyway. The Fish Head Beehoon really lives up to its name but I just love the soup. I wish the soup is available for sale, just the soup and not the fish.

It was my 1st trip to South City Plaza and upon entering the place, the first thought that came to me was The Summit in Subang Jaya is a much better and presentable place than this. Anyway, we headed straight to where the booksale was. True to what was published in the papers, the normal paperback novels cost RM8. In fact, most books there cost below RM15. There were throngs and throngs of people, mostly carrying a brown fibreboard carton filled with tons of books. I thought I don't need one but as it turned out, I needed one in less than 20 minutes. All sorts of books were available. People were grabbing them as if the books were free. Despite my niece's plea of NOT having another book as a Christmas present, I bought some for her anyway. I can't help it because the books were really cheap.

All in all, I bought 14 books and they cost me exactly RM100. Not one cent more and not one cent less. The pix above shows my latest acquisition :-) Just as the attendant was busy putting my books in the plastic bag, my eye caught on a tiny box set of The Olsen Twins Sleepover Party. I thought maybe little Latysha might like it.

If you love to read, make a trip there and don't miss this big sale.

Book Lovers aka Bookworms.

I must absolutely write about this. I've been an avid reader at a tender age of 10 and for that, I should really thank cousin Fern because she inadvertently, unknowingly, sowed seeds of passion of reading in me. Back in those days, English fictional storybooks were hard to come by in our small town, Batu Pahat. I may have lost a lot of my childhood memories but I can remember vividly how I walked, cycled or took a free ride to cousin Fern's house to read her newly bought storybooks (and later on novels) which she got from Singapore. I remember too the good old days when her mom would make dainty little tea cakes or pastry and served with sweet orange juice and brought all these foodstuff to the air conditioned room where both Fern and I were sprawling on the bed, immersed in the world of fiction. Those were the good old days which remains as a fond memory till today.

What I wanna share here is that I've finally found a place that sells novels at an unbelievable price. A paperback novel would normally cost between RM32.90 to RM34.90. However, I can get certain selection for as low as RM17.90! I flipped through all the books and realized they were just the same as those sold in MPH or Borders. The place I'm talking here is Bookxcess located in Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya. They have recently moved to a bigger store but it is still located in Amcorp Mall itself. You may not get all the titles you want but they normally carry bestsellers in the likes of  John Grisham, Sidney Sheldonw, J.K Rowling, Stephanie Meyer etc. I could've clout my own head when I came across the Twilight saga at only RM17.90 each which I bought at RM49.90 in MPH !!! Darn !

Eversince I found this place, I no longer buy from Borders or MPH or Kinokuniya unless I couldn't find the book I want in Bookxcess. And if I can't even find the books I want in the above 3 mentioned giant bookstores, I'll resort to buying online from Acmamall. Amazon.com offers an excellent and a very comprehensive plus user friendly website to check on books but sadly the shipping fees from US to Malaysia is a hefty sum. So what I normally do is to check on the reviews written in Amazon before I proceed to buy from www.acmamall.com. Oh by the way, you can even purchase 2nd hand books from Borders Market Place which I did before. Of course shipping fees were exorbitant but if you die die must have the book, then you must have the book. Just insert your credit card number, click yes. Thereafter, don't even think of this purchase anymore and you won't feel the pinch afterwards. Recently, I've made an online purchase from Kinokuniya Bookstore which is located in KLCC via this website http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/indexohb.cgi?AREA=05. This bookstore offers a wide range of titles (better than MPH in my opinion) and if you are interested to buy but the long journey to KLCC puts you off, you can always opt to buy online. It cost only RM8 per shipment. So, it'll be wiser if you were to consolidate a few titles and purchase it online as one shipment. That way, you can split the shipping cost over several books.

I can be very generous when it comes to books but if you were to ask my hubby, he'll probably say I'm in fact, very generous in a lot of things such as clothes, bags, shoes, skincare , hair care etc. Anyway, book is a wonderful companion to me and has been one for the longest time possible. I don't really care if I spend on books because afterall, it's a reading material.

Twilight Book 3 : Eclipse

I'm getting really excited and rubbing my hands in anticipation of the forthcoming Twilight's 3rd installation , Eclipse, which will premier in Malaysia theaters on 8th July. I know the teens are supposed to get over excited about this upcoming movie purely because of hearthrob Rob Pattisson and the solid body of Taylor Lautner. As for me, I didn't start noticing Twilight range of books until I watched the movie itself which was the 1st big mistake I've comitted. No sooner had I finished the movie, I hurriedly browsed through Amazon and to my horror, I realized Stephanie Meyer wrote another 3 sequels after her first book. That spells doom to me because once I start on a book and if the book has got sequels, I must by hook or crook, finish the entirely series and only then will I obtain peace. Ever since I've read Flowers in the Attic by V.C Andrews during my secondary school days, I've made a vow to never, never, ever touch another book which has sequels (by the way, this book has 5 sequels).

Anyway, as soon as I was done with the Twilight movie, I bought the remaning 3 Twilight Saga books and I didn't rest until I've finished the whole saga. Phew.. what a relief for me because if you had actually seen the books, you will know how horribly thick they are. I must say I am not exactly a great fan of Stephanie Meyer's style of writing. In fact, I was actually struggling with New Moon. Storyline was boring and had no gist and style of writing was draggy and whiny and slow. But I picked up pace with Eclipse and finally Breaking Dawn was the biggest break. I shall not be a spoiler here but I'm sure most of you know that Bella will be a vampire eventually. The question is when and how. In Eclipse, more sparks will fly off between Bella and Edward but the mongrel Jacob proves to be a thorn in Edward's flesh. The plot thickens when both of them need to form an alliance against ..... Ok, I shall not squeal anymore on the story but you can be sure that I've already made plans on when to watch it. For Twilight fans, enjoy the movie. For non Twilight fans, well... just ignore us.

How to deter cats in your territory

This is the last straw. The ultimatum came last night when the cat went one step further to shit on my porch, right in front of my front car tyre! The worst part is this is NOT my pet cat. In case none of you are aware, we have been bogged with the problem of cat's poops and cat's piss for a long long time. The cats, the culprits, belong to my neighbours (both left and right) as well as the uncountable stray cats loitering in the neighbourhood. Their favorite pooing place is none other than (1)our now shabby garden, thanks to the cats; (2)the cement slab near to my Balinese pond and (3)the shoe rack next to my main door to the house. Arrgh.. it is so frustrating to pick up someone else's pet's poops in your private vincinity and at the same time, have to endure the horrible stinking smell which lures humongous flies. No offence to the cat lovers here but try imagine you picking up your neighbour's cat's poops and smelling their piss almost everyweek and you'll then empthatize with my situation here.

Ok, so I'm popping out this question now. Does anyone know of any effective methods that could deter cat? So far, I've tried out the following economical methods:

1. pouring bleach on cement slab and wash it off
2. spray insecticide on previously peed and pooed area
3. spread some black pepper on affected areas
4. buy a few small pots of cactus with pricks and place them on the 'prone' areas

So, did any of the above method work? Answer : NO ! NO ! NOOOO !!!! Below are costly methods which according to my sources, are effective:

1. get the cat repellent "Silent Roar" (equally smelly)
2. setting up barb electrical fencing (and end up electrocuting myself)

I've read some really interesting articles on ways to exterminate cat without the neighbour suspecting it. Yes, I do fantasize on eradicating them. Bare hands strangling would be my best preferred method. But am I gonna be the next cat killer? Hell.. no way man!. I ain't no murderer. Plus...cat has 9 lives, remember?

Please post some comments here if you have any brilliant suggestion on cat detterent.

Penned by Rachel

How To Train Your Dragon & Clash of the Titans

Recently I had the chance to catch 2 movies which I had been very keen about when I first knew of their release date. I originally wanted to buy a 3D movie tix to the Disney movie “How to Train your Dragon” but I couldn’t accommodate to the screening time. So, I had to settle for the normal screening and I brought along my goddaughter to watch the animated show. I wasn’t in the least disappointed. The story is about a little boy, named Hiccup whose father is a Viking and also the head of a village. Hiccup is nothing like a Viking as he is clumsy and scrawny but when one day he had a chance to slay a trapped dragon, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He released the injured dragon which couldn’t fly due to a missing half tail. In the beginning, there was wariness and animosity coming from the dragon but gradually, both Hiccup and the dragon became buddies. And it is from here that Hiccup learnt the true nature of dragons and everything the Vikings knew about dragons were totally erroneous. If you like Disney animated shows, you’ll like this one. Not sure whether it’s still screening but go watch if you have the opportunity. I took a day off to watch Clash of the Titans all by myself the day after I watch the Dragon movie. Yea… kind of a marathon, I guess. Was munching my ever delicious crunchy caramel popcorn in the cool theater while waiting for the show to begin. Yes, I do know a wee bit about the 3 gods namely Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. There were many movies filmed on these 3 gods before (ie Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) but what I like about the show is the visual effects and the actor, Sam Worthington (the Avatar dude, remember?). You definitely need to make a trip to the cinema for this show instead of settling it with a pirated dvd later on. Go , go go !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Penned by Rachel

SMJ Class of 1989, Gathering 2010

How many ten years do we have in our lives? (sit down and ponder) It has been more than two decades since I left my secondary school Sekolah Menangah Jinjang (SMJ) in year 1989. Those were the days, the happy days with no worries, no need to bother about any financial commitment, work, bills, installments ..aahh.. those were really happy days. Year 2010 started off rather special because we finally had a reunion. Although I see certain faces pretty frequently but most of the faces especially the ladies, I have not met up with them for years. Here’s a special thanks to the organizer, John Tan’s, for making this gathering a reality on the fateful day of 29 January 2010. I would like to take this opportunity to show my appreciation to him despite of his busy work schedules and took his precious time to organize this reunion. The original venue was proposed by me at Shogun, One Utama but was then changed to Tasting Room in Bangsar because of its environment and atmosphere. True enough, it turned out to me a perfect place for our gathering. Another toast to John. We were supposed to meet at 7:00 PM but it turned out that I was the first one to reach there because I wanted to beat the terrifying traffic jam. In normal traffic condition, I am able to reach in less than 30 minutes from my office in Bandar Sunway but will take me more than an hour to reach the venue during peak hour. The heavy torrential evening rain worsened the traffic condition. While waiting for my freinds to come, I was enjoying the unlimited wine tasting for only RM10-00. Super cheap, right? Not long after, the organiser & the guest from Australia, Elizabeth & her husand Vincent made their appearance. We while away the time with some snacks available in the restaurant before the actual dinner start. Finally, familiar faces started to appear at 8:00 PM. It’s really good to see old friends after such a long time. Well, as usual the gathering started with normal kind of respond like ‘Hi!’, “How are you?”, “Long time no see?” but we expected more right? As the night progress, our moods started to get warmer and warmer. I don’t deny the fact that the influences from red wine had a great deal to do with it. At that moment, I felt young, as if I was transported back to year 1989. If I could, I really wouldn’t mind turning back the clock. Oh yeah, forgot to mention about the food, well I did not mention it is because there is absolutely nothing special for me to mention. For one, I happened to be on vegetarion on that day. For another, perhaps is because my tastebud is too used to the heavy taste of typical Malaysian food. As such, western food doesn’t seem to serve any special “effect“ on me. In the end, I only had mushroom soup and spaghethi with tomato sauce (something I can consume as vegan). I skipped desert because I was too busy taking photographs of my friends. The whole evening was filled of fun, laughter & perpetual flow of red wine. By the end of the function, I was half drunk but still, my fingers were clicking away on my camera. The gathering dispersed close to midnight. and I believe everyone left the place with a huge grin on their faces. I think we should do this more often instead of waiting for the next two decades. I am truly happy to reunite with so many old friends who made an effort to attend this reunion despite of their hectic work schedule. So….when’s the next reunion ? 2020 ?? :D Penned by Chong

Have a break, life's short

Today we had a little unsurprise visit from an ex colleague. When the office bell rang, I half expected to see her rooting at the door. Well, I was right and I was wrong. I was actually gazing up at a pretty, bubbly and vivacious young woman whom I can hardly recognize. It is so good to see a dear friend who has been in convalesce for more than a year. I never doubted the fact that the past one year had been an arduous journey for her to pull herself together, to heal and subsequently be who she is today. We are either too engross in pursuit of wealth or are too weary with daily tasks that somehow, we forgot to embrace the essence of life. We brush away our own needs or the needs of our loved ones. We no longer take time do accomplish the things we want to do for ourselves because we always put other more 'important' things ahead of us. In short, we are taking life for granted. Sad to say, this realization usually hit us only after we have encountered an unfortunate incident. The incident or experience triggered a wake up call in us and we started to regret on many things in life : things we should've done or shouldn't have done. Time passes by silently yet swiftly and before you know it, fine lines are starting to creep at the corners of your eyes. Start doing something for yourself today. Take time to enjoy life's little treasures. Each and everyone of us need to have a little 'me' time, sometimes. I am adopting this approach today,.... and that's why, I chose to leave office at exactly 5.30pm today. For what? For a little 'me' time, of course :D Penned by Rachel

A blog is born and so's a blogger

17 Jan 2010 I am finally starting my own blog, phew! It seems that the decision to start blogging took only a split second but it took an eternity for me to finally put everything into place. I was questioning myself for the purpose of putting my precious yet limited time into blogging. Being a working wife who has to juggle between busy work schedule and insurmountable housework plus not forgetting time spent on facebooking, msn chatting, watching youtube posted by friends (the list goes on and on), I wonder if blogging could be a real big mistake for me amidst my hectic life. But I guess, for me, the ultimate reasons for blogging is to share my thoughts , my favorite pastime and generally what goes on in my mundane life. My blog was further procrastinated because hubby and I were picking our minds on what’s the best and most suitable name for my blog (or rather our blog) and as you can guess, we never did reach a consensus. Finally..and finally… I decided simplicity is the best. Thus, 30-odd-something was born. Hurray… Happy Birthday. And this day happens to be my birthday as well. Nooo, wait a minute. This is all unplanned. Hubby whisked me off to an impromptu trip to Malacca, in a way to celebrate my birthday a little differently this year. I was beaming with delight at the thought of the delectable nyonya dishes and the abundance of freshly baked pineapple tarts. A walk in Jonker Street had me emptying some space in my purse whilst my hands could be seen clutching several cheap red plastic bags (yea..not very environmental friendly). The next morning, right after breakfast, my hands started to itch to get into facebook but to my utmost dismay, I was unable to connect to the hotel’s free wireless network. If you must know, I simply cannot survive a day or two without a computer and internet. (Damn! What's the point of having a laptop while there's no wifi?) This two must come in a package and cannot be separated. By the time I got home and managed to log into my facebook, boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise. My wall was flooded with numerous birthday wishes ranging from friends to cousins and relatives (not forgetting my bro). It may seem like a simple gesture of just putting a mere few words but to me, this is an effort. It is knowing that you have a friend celebrating his or her birthday and you took the trouble to write (no matter how few lines) and convey your best wishes to the birthday boy or girl. It also doesn’t matter the extend of the sincerity because at the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts. And right now, I am counting my blessings! Penned by Rachel