How time flies! If I didn't recall wrongly, it was 1980 when I was in Primary One. Let me share some of these memories with you...

• My school was nearby (maybe about 15 - 20 minutes walk) but my mom will still arrange for a 'school car' service for me. I remember it was a middle-aged lady who drove the car, and we loved calling her 'Kaya' (maybe it was the colour of her car!), and the thing is she wasn't even angry when we called her by that name. Come to think of it, we were rude and didn't show any respect for her.
• There was a subscription for fresh milk in school (optional). They came in triangular packets and we were always looking forward to the different flavours everyday (e.g. chocolate, strawberry etc)
• I love the sardines puff (a small pie with sardines fillings and are deep fried) which costs only 20 cents then.
• After meal during recess time, my then good friend and I would patronize the school bookshop for cute letterpads and stickers (I remember the bookshop was small and crammy) and the owner (an elderly uncle) was very patient with his little customers
• There were these brushing sessions after the recess time and we would squat down by the drain and brushed our teeth with a mug.
• I was addicted to Nancy Drew and thought she was one cool lady detective, and had read most of her books from the school library.
• There were always rumors that some cubicles in the toilets were haunted. (Very 'believable' when they used light bulbs).
• We were most happy whenever National Day arrives because that was the time we would go home early, watch the performance on stage and receive free stationery.
• Autograph books were circulated amongst the classmates during Primary Six (that's Final Year) and poems were often written (e.g. Birds fly high, hard to catch. Friends like you, hard to forget.)
• Most of us would wear raincoats and slippers to school during rainy days, and would slip on our socks and shoes once we were in class.
• Every class there would be one or two Prefects (they wore a tie over their school uniforms and they would list down your name if you were late in class or whatever).
• Tissues were seldom used at that time. We used handkerchiefs with various printed designs.
• To top it all, I was exhilarated when my two essays were published in the local newspapers! I think I got about $10 fee for each essay. (I was in Primary Six then, and those $$$ meant a lot to me! LOL.)

Well, those were the days...

Yikes! It's Monday...what can I say? And this bulldog picture says it all about my mood today...grouchy and sick. I didn't really sleep well last night, it's bad enough to have a sore throat and feeling feverish, and to top it all, my daughter isn't feeling too well either; she has been having flu since last week. Must be the viruses in the air...

So there she is, asking us to bring her to the playgroup just this morning (has been absent since last Wednesday), so of course we didn't bring her. And that tells me another thing, what am I reporting to work today anyway? Good question. (What am I trying to prove anyway?! Haha.) Oh well... doctor, here I come... Grrr...I hate Mondays!

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

This is interesting...so what flower are you?

I have never read anything by Thomas H. Cook, but this book had "wowed" me. It is no wonder that Mr. Cook received six Edgar Award nominations to date, most recently in 2006 for this novel, Red Leaves, which was also shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger and the Anthony Award.

You Are Pretty Logical

You're a bit of a wizard when it comes to logic While you don't have perfect logic, you logic is pretty darn good Keep at it - you've got a lot of natural talent in this area!

Wow, is this really me? LOL.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Liver


2. Brussel sprouts


3. Crab sticks (I love crabs, but definitely not in sticks! Moreover, they aren't 100% crabmeats anyway!)


4. Raw celery


5. Jellyfish


6. Clams

Hmm...I wish I can list more but I can't think of any, moreover I love food! LOL.

Hmm...I love eating these! Bak Kwa (or otherwise known as "barbecued pork") is one of the 'must-have' items for the Chinese New Year. It is also considered as one of the popular gifts to friends or families during this festive period. (In fact, we bought a 1-kilogram bak kwa to the in-laws last weekend).

Besides pork, there are also beef or chicken but pork remains the most 'sellable' amongst all. The pork meats are marinated with sugar and spices and cut into square pieces (for the festive period, they are also cut into bite-sized pieces to resemble coins) before they are barbecued. There are even some outlets who sell crocodile bak kwa, although I haven't tried them...yet.

Ten on Tuesday

So I have classifed them in dialogues and in general, hehe.

Dialogues

1. “I’m late!!!” (If the alarm clock doesn’t go off)
2. “Can you stay late today?” (Uh oh...not some last minute stuff)
3. “I’m sorry, but you have got to go.” (In other word, you are being laid off!)
4. “OMG, I have forgotten to pay the bills/taxes!” (Don't happen often...but I do tend to have a short memory at times)
5. “They are fighting, again!” (The in-laws will complain about my 3 year-old daughter and her nephew who's 8 months older squabbling over toys and food; there are times they will bite each other on the arms!)
6. “I don’t want to go to school!” (Some years down the road, I worry my daughter will shriek about this)
7. “I’ve flunked my exams!” (Some more years down the road when she is schooling...and the list goes on)

General

8. Health problem (You can never take health for granted, even though you are healthy!)
9. Environmental problem (One of the major problems we face around the world)
10. Terrorists Attacks/War (Ditto)

This belongs to one of the older releases by Linda Lael Miller.

Week of Feb 11: Love Is In the Air

Well with Valentines Day coming up soon, lets talk about it.

1. Cupid, man or myth? Man
2. What do you want for Valentine's Day? Spending time together, just the two of us (our 3 year-old daughter tags along whereever we go now, although we aren't complaining!)
3. Who was your first Valentine? Believe it or not, it's the hub!
4. Do you even enjoy Valentine's Day or do you think it's a made up holiday? Although I enjoy Valentine's Day, I also think it's more like a commercialized holiday
5. Any bad Valentine's Day experiences? Nope

till next time....

Mo Hayder has done it again! Hayder has a unique voice that gets you hooked to her stories and never let it go till you have reached the end. I am glad to say Pig Island is no exceptional. I first read Tokyo (otherwise known as 'The Devil of Nanking') and it has left me a deep impression; from then I began to look out for her books. Her stories are darker as compared to some authors I have read; a colleague even told me her books made her depressed, so if you belong to the faint hearted one, I suggest you should give her books a pass.

Joe Oakes is a journalist, and he goes out exposing supernatural hoaxes and the likes. He has a bad history with Malachi Dove, who is a leader of Psychogenic Healing Ministries, and also a strong believer of faith healing. Joe blames him for causing his aunt’s death indirectly, and especially making him believing he had a deadly tumor. He then published an expose on Malachi, and Malachi threatened him with a lawsuit but it fizzled because everyone presumed he was dead.
Some time later, Joe visits a remote Scottish island after seeing a video that captured a glimpse of a creature roaming in the island by some tourists. The locals believe it was Malachi's doings and warn him that he shouldn't cross the border and provoke him. Joe is fascinated with the island's electrical fencing, gargolyes blocking some pathways, the toxin-filled oil drums and even the smell of dead pigs but he is not going to let these barriers stop him from investigating.

In the mayhem of doing so, he later learns from a local's daughter that she has tried to trap the "creature" by digging and camouflaging a manhole but it was an unsuccessful attempt. She then offers to show him the place and stumbles upon a young woman whom is Dove's mysterious daughter Angeline. Joe wins her confidence quickly and she began to tell him what his father is capable of doing, although she wouldn't say what he has done to her in the past.

Joe believes they are in danger, and with his wife they left the place and brought Angeline with them, but they didn't know that danger has the capability of following them no matter where they go.

I wish I would write this review in details, but then it would be spoilers. I was totally blown away by the ending. What a twist! You can say I am now an official fan of Mo Hayder.

What kind of care do you take of your books? Let's review, shall we?

1. Are you careful with the spines? Or do you crack your books open to make them lay flat?

I'm very careful with the spines. Call me fussy or anything, but I cringe whenever someone cracks them.

2. Do you use bookmarks? Or do you dog-ear the corners? If you do use bookmarks, do you use those fashionable metal ones? Or paper?

I use paper bookmarks and never dog-ear the corners!

3. Do you write in your books? Ever? If you do, do you make small marks, or write in as much blank space as you can find? Pen or pencil? Highlighter? Your name on the front page?

Never, I don't write in books unless I want to give this as a gift to someone and I will scribble some personal notes (in pen) on the first page after the cover.

4. Do you toss your books on the floor? Into bookbags? Or do you treat them tenderly, with respect?

I treat them tenderly.

5. Do you ever lay your book face-down, to save your place?

Yes.

6. Um--water? Do you bathe with your books? Hold them with wet hands? Read out in the rain? Anything of that sort?

Big no-no.

7. Are your books lined up on a bookshelf? Or crammed in any which way? Stacked on the floor?

Most of my TBR pile are kept in the bookshelf, but it is overflowing lately so I have stacked them neatly on our study desk.

8. Do you make a distinction--as regards book care--between hardcovers and paperbacks?

I don't buy hardcovers.

9. And, to recap? Naturally, you love all of your books, but how, exactly? Are your books loved in the battered way of a well-loved teddy bear, or like a cherished photo album or item of clothing that's used, appreciated, but carefully cared for?

I definitely love my books, and always handle them with care. I don't eat when I'm reading, and even if I have a drink next to me, I will make sure my hands are dry. Well, I can say I love my books like a cherished photo album as there will be time I will re-read them if I find the stories are good.

10. Any additional comments? -

Don't forget to leave a link to your actual response in the comments--or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

This is thought provoking... thought I would share (Received from a forwarded email).

"Decision Making

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track. The train came, and you were just beside the track interchange. It was not possible to stop the train but you could make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way? Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make...

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. To save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, normally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to p lay where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

To make the proper decision is not try to change the course of the train because the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe.

If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundres of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one. "Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."

Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils."

This is originated from a Japanese manga series. I have never read the manga but the movie is entertaining in my opinion.

The protagonist, Light Yagami is a University student and life seems normal to him, until he finds a mysterious notebook with the title 'Death Note' on the ground one day. He is a righteous fellow and he resents the crime and corruption in the world, given that his dad works in the police field. Feeling curious about the book, he opens it and learns that if someone's name is written on it, the person shall die. He is skeptical at first and think it is all a joke, but decides to try it on the criminals who have escaped from their penalties. The next thing he knows, they are dead. After he meets Ryuk, who is the master of the Death Note and doesn't seem to be unfazed by the 'new' owner, Light seeks to hold righteous by eliminating all the baddies in the world.

I started reading Dean Koontz when I was still schooling (can’t remember if it was High School or thereafter), anyway I was hooked. I can still remember the first book I read by him, the title is Shattered. It was such a thrill reading that book and from then onwards, I began to look out for his books.

Mitchell Rafferty is a landscape gardener. Life is simple for him and his wife Holly, until one day he receives a call on his cell phone, the other party informing him that they have got his wife and they wants him to raise two million dollars cash within sixty hours, or else Holly will be dead. Mitch tells them he is only a gardener, and he hasn’t had that kind of money in his account, but they just don’t care and assure him that he will know what to do.

To prove to Mitch that they mean business; they killed a man who walks his dog across the street after the phone call. Mitch is shattered, although he wants someone to help him badly, he has no one to turn to, especially not the police.

Not only the kidnappers are ruthless, but Mitch knows they are professionals also, because they manage to bug his house, follow him around discreetly when he is driving without leaving any trails. Mitch is desperate, and doesn’t understand why he is chosen for this extortion, but he will do anything to save the life of his beloved wife, including risking his life and that of others.

There are lots of tensions in this story as it moves along. Fast paced and filling with twists, fans of Dean Koontz will love this thriller.

Your Career Personality: Practical, Easy-Going, and Determined

Your Ideal Careers: Airplane pilot Civil engineer Fire fighter Forensic pathologist Graphic designer Marine biologist Police officer Professional athlete Race car driver Software engineer

I simply LOVE this pic! Such a cute little thing... and not to mention it takes time and patience to capture that special angle. You did a wonderful job, Jen! I am so proud of you; one day you will make a GREAT photographer! ;)