What Your Hands Say About You

You are logical, analytical, and rational. You have good verbal skills. Flexible and broad minded, you can fit in to any situation. There's no telling where your life will take you. Consistent and reliable, you like to count on structure and routine in your life. Your emotions tend to be nervous and potent. Your energy - both positive and negative - deeply impacts your life.

Week of May 13: Happy Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day, if you could give your mom anything in the world, what would it be?

I haven't been celebrating Mother's Day since last year. At that time, my mom was lying in the hospital bed; the reason of admittance was due to stroke. It was a double blow to us because a few months earlier, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. I can remember that moment very well because she kept telling me she wasn't sure if she wanted to go for the chemotherapy. I can understand her worries because her friend had breast cancer and she passed away shortly even though she went for the treatment. Thus, my mom was hesitant about it but we supported her because we believe there is always a chance and hope if she goes for the treatment. And she did, but a week later, stroke hit her and it shattered all our dreams.

I used to give her a treat every Mother's Day. My mom was very easy to please and she doesn't expect a lot from us, even a simple treat at any eating outlet will make her very happy. But during this time last year, I could only made one wish for her: and that if it was possible, I wouldn't mind shortening my few years' life span in exchange for a few more years for her. Unfortunately it didn't happen...

And now that she wasn't around, I could only wish she would be happy wherever she is in the other world.

till next time...

As you can see, lately I was in a mood for mainstream stories. This is another beautiful story I read right after The Memory Keeper's Daughter. One of the great things I find reading mainstream stories is they are very much like reality and can be thought provoking at times.

The story takes place on a peach farm in South Carolina in 1964. Lily Owens is a fourteen-year-old girl, living with her father and a black housekeeper named Rosaleen. She isn't happy staying with her dad because he is quick tempered and he always find chances at yelling and punishing her. She misses her mom, who died when she was four. Thus, Rosaleen becomes her only confidant. Rosaleen is a woman full of spunk and Lily finds she can be embarrassingly unself-conscious at times.

And that leads to a racial brawl when Rosaleen insults three of the deepest racists in town one day. Rosaleen ends up bruised and beaten in jail. Lily thinks it is up to her to save her, and miraculously, she did. They then head off to a town called Tiburon in S.C., after finding its name on the back of a picture left by her mom.

It is there that they meet the trio of black beekeeping sisters by the names of May, June and August. They take Lily and Rosaleen in, and they work for the sisters in return.

It is during the stay with the trio, Lily begins her journey of finding the missing piece of her life, and daring herself to dream.

Inspiring and heartwarming, this story will captivate readers both mature and the young.

Alice tagged me, so I'm playing along. Here are the rules:

• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

8 random facts/habits about me:

1. As most of you know, I love to read. And the amount of books I buy can be alarming. (Just look at my TBR pile!)
2. Besides books, I love to read magazines too. My regular reads include Cleo, Cosmopolitan and occasionally Glamour.
3. I love food; I don't mind trying something new except insects and beef. I'm also a green tea lover. Lately, I'm hooked to drinking Choya (best served with ice!)
4. I am myopic. Without my lenses (or glasses), I'm lost.
5. Don't laugh. Another fact is, I don't know how to swim! Just don't ask me along if you intend to participate in any water activities (although I will be a good 'watcher' though).
6. I love watching horror/thriller movies, although I will close my eyes when any gross or bloody scene appears on screen. And then I will ask hubby, "What happened?"
7. I am particular about punctuality. When I'm late, I get flustered.
8. Finally, I can't live without internet!! Without it, I'm not able to check emails, blog (or read blogs) and to communicate with friends around the world.

All right, I don't wish to tag anyone. But I do hope you will volunteer and play along after reading this! ;P (Leave me a note if you are game).

I just want to share this.

In honour of Mother's Day Everyday Mommy is giving away a free Typepad or Blogger design! Please visit her blog for more details. Good luck everyone (and that's including myself)!!! :-P

Our living room is now in a mess. That was the hubs' words when he called me earlier; and I could hear all the grilling and hammering sounds over the phone while we were talking. Don't get me wrong, we aren't moving into a new house. It is just that we hear hollow sounds whenever we knock onto some affected floor tiles, and we are worried that as the years goes by, these tiles will crack or 'pop-up' one day. In fact, that happened to some of our neighbours and they had to report the case to the relevant authority to get it fixed.

So for the past few days, we have started to clear all the furniture and other stuff into our study room and guest room, as well as having the curtains removed. We have moved the TV console to the kitchen, as the rooms are occupied with the sofa, a coffee table, a foldable dining table, a CD rack, and even a detachable bar counter. Phew! So now our common meeting place is at the guest room! LOL. I think the overall 'renovation' works will take about a week, so the hubs and I are taking turns to stay home for the 'supervision'.

We are quite satisfied with the sample tile which the authority had shown us some time ago, as it is much bigger. Hopefully there won't be any faulty tiles once the old ones have been removed! And right after next, I have to worry about the mess we have to clean up after the workers are done with the works!!!

Week of May 6: At the Movies

Last night I went to see the new Spiderman. It was pretty good, but I like parts 1 & 2 better. So this brings me to this weeks meme...'At the Movies'. Answer each of my nosy questions as truthfully as possible please :P

1. Do you like going to the movie threater? How often do you go? What treats do you buy when you go? Yes, I do. The sound systems at home is nothing comparable to the theater of course! Well, although I love watching movies at the theater, I don't go as often as compared to before. I go for chips or popcorns!!!

2. Cell phones in the theater, do you keep yours on or off? I always have the cellphones set to mute whenever I step into the theater.

3. What's the last movie you went to see in the theater? I can't remember. I think it's Eragon.

4. Have you ever waited on line for an obscene amount of time (several hours) just to get tickets to a movie? Also, have you ever dressed up as a film character.....i.e. a hobbit, a witch or wizard...while watching a movie? Yes, can't remember about the show though (is it Star Wars??) ...it'd been years ago. Nope, never.

5. What do you like most and least about going to the movies? I love the huge screen, the sound systems and also enjoy the atmosphere of watching any blockbuster with a huge crowd of people. I hate it when there are inconsiderate people talking loudly or not muting their cellphones when the show is on.

6. What's the worst movie you've ever seen? Why? I can't name one at the moment. It's Monday so my mind goes blank if asked to recall stuff, hehe.

till next time...

Appetizer
Name something you would not want to own.
I have no idea at the moment.

Soup
Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).
I used to have long hair, but I have it trimmed last weekend so now the length is slightly below my shoulders. My hair is black and thick.

Salad
Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.
...the day my mom passed away.

Main Course
Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?
I have no idea who I want to be...anyway it'd only be for a day, so what's the point? LOL!

Dessert
Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.
I read and travel a lot!

This book is about family, relationships, choices, secrets and unconditional love. A moving and thought provoking story that touches my heart, and that it will stay in my mind for a long time.

The year is 1964. Dr. David Henry is an orthopedic surgeon and he has a perfect life. He married Norah - a wonderful and beautiful woman, and they are about to start a family soon. They even have the names chosen - Paul should a boy be born and Phoebe should be a girl. On the night when Norah is in labor, a snowstorm hit and David is forced to deliver his own child with only help of his nurse, Caroline Gill. Although he is thrilled to learn they have twins, he isn't prepared to welcome the baby girl who is diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Hoping to spare everyone in the family from the pain, and that this incident reminds him too much of his young sister who died from a heart condition during his childhood, he decides to send her to an institution and so instructs Caroline to have the baby sent to an institution. Caroline went with a heavy heart, but upon reaching the institution, she changes her mind and decides to raise the baby as and on her own from Lexington, Kentucky to Pittsburgh.

When Norah comes around, she asks David about the twins and he lied to her that Phoebe died at birth. Some years pass by, Norah still couldn't accept the loss of their girl while David continues to harbour the guilt. From there, the story quickly unfolds and readers will soon find out how that one decision will leave an impact to both families - David's and Caroline's.

I liked all the characters in this book. Their emotions are strongly felt and I really sympathize with each of them: David for coming up with the decision (no matter what the circumstances is); Norah for coping with her loss; Paul for his dream and yet his dad has other expectations from him, and also not to mention he wonders about his "dead" sister and how life will be like if she is around; Caroline for her dilemma (as in whether to tell or not to tell) and finally Phoebe being the innocent victim amongst all.

All in all, this is a wonderful novel in my humble opinion. I will definitely check out Kim Edwards' books in future.

Other Bloggers' reviews:
1MoreChapter
Lost in a Good Story
Maw Books Blog
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Puss Reboots
The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness

I snag this from Marg's blog. This is way too cool! And I can't wait for this fantasy movie to be released in December. You may wish to learn about the movie and get your own Daemon at their website over here. Here's mine:

You Are a Classic Gucci Bag

You've got style mastered - because you stick with what works Like this Gucci Bag, you prefer classic items that stand the test of time You're also a bit of a practical girl, who prefers function over fluff You prefer a big bag, so that you can have your stuff with you at all times

Ooh, I LOVE handbags!!! I think I have about ten (or is it eleven?!) handbags in my closets. And I do have different bags for different occasions. Hubby thinks I'm mad! LOL. However, I won't indulge too much in luxury brands, although I do look for a bag that suits to my needs and is of a resonable price (and of course the style has to be trendy too). So what handbag are you?

And finally, here's a pic of my Bonia work bag:

Got this from Alice's blog. What fun!

I hope everyone has a happy Labour's Day holiday. We were supposed to be out yesterday, but our daughter had a slight fever, so we aborted our plan and ended up watching TV the whole day. I was glad there was a movie marathon on a channel which started at 10pm the previous night. We enjoyed watching Ghost Ship, which was a little creepy, followed by Scream 3 which ended at around 2.15am. By then I could hardly keep my eyes open so we headed to bed (we had actually watched Scream 3 at the cinema when it was first released during our courting days, hehe). And the following morning, we watched bits of The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (because we missed the first half) and Drumline.

Anyway, this morning it rains again. I woke up at around 4am to close the windows, and couldn't sleep then. Our daughter's temperature hasn't gone down the last time I checked, so she couldn't go to the playgroup today.

I have read some more of The Memory Keeper's Daughter on my way to work earlier and it is very, very good! I hope I am able to come up with a fine review after reading it. Mentioning of books, we went to Borders after visited my dad last Saturday. I was looking for this book - Ice Blue by Anne Stuart and I was very, very disappointed to note it wasn't on the shelves yet. I want this book badly! (I had enjoyed reading Black Ice and Cold As Ice; and they were great!) In fact, Julia and I have agreed earlier on reading Ice Blue together; so I feel a little bad that she has waited for me some time to get this book... ended up I have to buy it online and it will take about 2 to 3 weeks to arrive! *sigh* Yeah, I know I should have done this earlier!!! Oh well... at least it saves me the trouble of going back to the bookstore to check.

Happy Wednesday to all!