Hooked On Bookz

I must have ran into Luck today, for I met a really friendly, funny author, Graham McEune at a book reading in Popular (a bookstore I rarely patronise :P) At the reading, he shared with us some amusing anecdotes and vignettes, which tickled every funny bone in me, from his latest book, Upcountry - Adventures and Misadventures in Malaysia . My favourite was his visit to a local sinseh in Ipoh. That got me laughing into stitches! LOL! The reading ended with an autograph session with his new fans and a photograph session with yours truly! Oh! and,...I'll be reviewing his book soon! :) In the meantime, I'm trying to arrange an online q&a session with him :) Till then, stay hooked! :) To those who'd like to know him a little better, visit his website at http://grahammceune.com

The book donation went well! Hurray! My parents, my hubby and I were there at about 12.30pm. There were 15 children altogether, and they were a jolly bunch! Most of them were really friendly, jovial and pretty hyper :) Only one or two of the boys who were quiet and reserved. The boys played "sticks" while the rest were busy talking and playing. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the caretaker, Visa (If I heard/remembered her correctly), who briefed us a little on the kids. Generally, the kids there have been abused, neglected and raped. Yes, raped, even as young as 4 years old. Visitors are advised not to ask them any personal questions. Anyway, when Visa rang a bell, a bunch of them came downstairs quite immediately and greeted us with "Hello Aunty/Uncle/Brother/Sister." Some shook our hands and greeted us Merry Christmas! My hubby with my fav Burmese gal (on the left) :) We managed to chat with a few of them while we were there. There were two of them who loved my h...

Special thanks to my parents, my 8th uncle & family, my aunt Fenny, Pansing, and Andrea for donating your books. All of them are in good condition and are great page turners. Some of them are classics! I really hope the children will enjoy reading them :) See the "presents" in the picture? In it, are books wrapped by yours truly. I used old wrapping papers, newspapers and ribbons. Like I've said before, I want to play my part in saving the environment. So I didn't purchase any new wrapping papers or ribbons. Anyway, what matters is what's inside :P (I was very tempted to keep some of the books for myself HAHAHAHA :P) My dad found a Home in PJ, called PJ Shelter Home. And all of us; me, my husband and my parents will be heading there tomorrow! I'm excited! :) Till then, have a blessed Christmas!

I've never met someone as down to earth as Winnie Loo. The first time we ever "conversed" was via email, and since then we kept in touch quite regularly. And although we have met only twice, she remembers my name. She even remembers the name of my blog! I mean, for a person of her status, whom had had met so many other people, to remember my name and my blog, is truly an honour to me! I feel very privileged to have known her. She's definitely the epitome of class and substance. Winnie also serves as a great reminder to all of us, that no matter who or where you are, you can succeed if you believe in yourself. If you have passion, stick to it, fight for it, and let your love for it drive you ahead. When you steer it to the right direction, it'll bring you even further in life. You and I know, Winnie's career had a very humble beginning. Her salon was 428 sq ft then, and now there is a total of 5 other major outlets in the country! And she helped Malaysia gain a...

I was super elated when I opened my Christmas gift from my dearest husband, coz I never expected any from him. (And I felt so lousy for not getting him anything :( ) Not this year, especially after we have spent so much on our wedding. But, my husband, whom always believed in making his wife happy, never bothered all that, and bought me a little something for Christmas. And it's something I've always wanted.... :) I fell in love with its scent the first time I caught it at a departmental store (Issey Miyake's original) and had been telling almost everyone about it haha I had never purchased it coz I already had so many other bottles of perfumes and I thought this particular one was slightly "overpriced" :P (I did buy the summer fragrance tho. Coz it was slightly cheaper haha but the scent wasn't as good as the original's) And because he knew how much I wanted it, he bought it for me for Christmas :D Thank you so much deeeear! I love you! *mmmuax* Merry Chr...

I cried after reading this...Thanks pa for sharing it with us... In Phoenix, Arizona , a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true. She took her son' s hand and asked, 'Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?' ‘Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.' Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can make your wish come true.' Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix , Arizona , where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be...

I don't really read fantasy, I only watch them. Don't ask me why :P Anyway, I gave Inkheart a try only because a friend of mine told me it'll be out in the movies next year. (I have this weird thing about reading the book first before the movie. If I happened to watch the movie before the book, I'd end up not reading the book. Ever. Even if the movie was good. Like Harry Potter and LOTR :P Again, don't ask me why.) Anyway, this book is simply about a little girl, named Meggie, who had a dad, Mortimer, a bookbinder, who could read characters out of a book, when he read aloud. (Read: make the characters come to live, literally.) He happened to have read Inkheart to his wife one night, and all the malevolent, evil characters came out of it and into our world; while his wife, entered the Inkworld. After successfully chasing the villians away, he tried reading his wife back into our world, but with no success. After 9 years running away from Capricorn (the most feared ch...

Ha ve a green celebration! By Veronica Khoo (my new byline haha :P) THE season of giving and sharing is here, so why not do our part and give back to the environment by reusing and recycling? I’m sure you are aware that our Mother Earth is suffering. So let us stop torturing her and do our part to prevent further harm. Before I reveal what I’m doing this Christmas, let me forewarn my friends and family members that I’m not trying to be a cheapskate here. Please, look at the bigger picture. All I’m trying to do is to contribute my share to help our home – the world. So here goes, the four simple ways, which you could do too, to preserve our environment: 1. Donate books: I’ve organised a little book donation this Christmas and have successfully donated boxes full of great reads to an orphanage. It’s a win-win situation here. First, the books donated have been saved from being thrown away. Second, no new books need to be bought. Save paper, save energy, save the environment! Third, the c...

Did I mention that my hubby got us free tickets to Mamma Mia musical from The Star? :) We were there for the matinee show today...hehe So...was it good??? Well,...this is my verdict. It was...so-so. It wasn't really spectacular. But maybe it's because we were seated quite far away, and wasn't able to 'catch' the mood or the vibes from the stage. Because towards the end of the show, everyone from tier 1 (first level) gave the performance a standing ovation. They even danced and clapped with them. I did too lah...but didn't stand or dance. Altho the sound system was weak, the cast was good. Donna sang well (Although, I still think Meryl Streep did it better haha But my hubby's rationale was, in movies, they get to cut and edit, and THEY DON'T SING LIVE :P ya lah ya lah i know lah...I LIKE MERYLL! DON't CHA GEDIT? hehe :P) Sophie was okay...there were times I couldn't hear her voice. The 3 men did fantabulously! Ohhh ohh...let me not forget to menti...

You wouldn't believe what happened to me today. Yes, yes, I got lucky. But you don't know the story haha So it goes like this. As you know, I've not been feeling well, and this morning, I was feeling just as shitty (NO, NOT MORNING SICKNESS!), and for the past few days, I was running out of luck at work. Anw, today, I intended to attend my hubby's boss' dinner, so I was supposed to dress quite appropriately. But because I was feeling so darn under the weather, I just grabbed a shirt hanging on the wall nearest to my wardrobe and my usual pair of jeans and left for work. And told my hubby that I don't think I can make it to the dinner. When I entered the office, my colleague checked with me about an event we were supposed to attend today, which I had totally forgotten. I told him I don't think I can make it, coz I wasn't feeling well. But somehow, towards the afternoon, and after lunch, I felt a little better (maybe it was due to the fact that I gulped on...

I wasn't feeling well today so I thought I'd better visit the Doc before it worsened. (This was last week lah by the way. And it hasn't improved at all today :P) Luckily there's a clinic at my office's building. (How convenient huh) So into the clinic I went. When my name was called, I went in to see the doc, and the conversation below took place: Doc: So how can I help you? Me: I'm not feeling well - sore throat, cough, slight flu and fever. Doc: Wow. Let me take your temperature. (He took my temperature and told me it's fine) Me: But doc, I feel feverish. Doc: Hmm...let me take your pulse. After which he said my pulse is beating very fast and that my body is trying to fight against the virus. Doc: Okay, you don't need antibiotics. All you need to do is to 2000mg of Vitamin C, get more rest, drink more water. Then you should be fine. Me: Oh okay. Is that all? Doc: Yes. So out of the room I walked and towards the door, thinking the doctor was a miracle d...

This Christmas, Nigella shares with you some of her reliable, easy-to-follow recipes and reassuring advice about planning and cooking ahead. Nigella Christmas is everything you could wish for to make your life and your Christmas easy and enjoyable: from party canapes, cocktails and manageable mass catering to scrumptious Christmas caks and puddings; from no-fuss brunch to quick and easy homemade presents and edible tree-decorations. There are mouthwatering recipes with a seasonal twist and sipmle menus for feeding friends and family over the extended holiday season with minimum stress and maximum enjoyment! With glorious illustrations, Nigella Christmas will surely be a perennial favourite, the book you will all reach for - for inspiration and reassurance, especially during this time of the year :)

Yes yes...I still am trying to squeeze in some of my free time to post up some reviews. These are some of my recommendations to keep your Christmas occupied (if you aren't celebrating or if you happen to be an anti-social :P) The theme? Family dramas...spicy, juicy, full of unexpected twists and turns! Will keep you home long enough to finish the book ;P the Supper Club by Sophie King Once a month, Lucy and her friends take turns to have a supper party at different homes. It's a great way for them to meet up and meet new people. But as usual, nothing goes quite as planned. Lucy's sister is allergic to her blind date. Best friend Maggie turns up unexpectedly at the same time as her cheating ex and his new girlfriend. *gasp*! Chrissy loses her appetitie when an old flame arrives, and Lucy can't quite get rid of Luke's ghost, still sitting at the head of the table...And more things unravel as the story continues...It's quite a fun, and an entertaining read ;) Brid...

Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you'll get till you drop by Bubba Gump! Yes! Bubba Gump at The Curve, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia has great shrimps! and food :P The place's quaintly decorated with quotes from Forrest Gump, with signs such as "Run Forrest Run!" (to indicate you don't need any help from the friendly waiters/waitresses whom looked ever ready to attend to your needs) and "Stop Forrest Stop!" (to indicate you need some help from the crew) placed on your dining table. Now, how cool and creative is that! We ordered one of their shrimps specials (forgot the name but it was the one that was spicy). IT WAS YUMMILICIOUS! I had my chicken salad which was scrumptious and my hubby had his baramundi....all equally good :) What lacked was the variety in their menu. But I guess that's understandable since they're a specialised shrimp restaurant. Besides that, the ambience was great, service was good, staff were friend...

It's such a wonderful day today...Finally, my husband and I could take our time and not think about anything else, but just...well...have fun and date like we used to (during our dating days that is :P) ! ;) We went to the city...took some pictures of some Christmas deco...shopped a little...had coffee...then...THE event of the night,...dinner @ Luk Yu Teahouse in Starhill :D It was a voucher given to the media courtesy of A Journey Through Time 2 HAHA The benefits you get working for the media haha :P (k lah k lah call it bribery if you want :P) What a great break from all the tedious wedding preps we had to do months ago! Oh yea...I'm still in d midst of executing some plans for my book donation. I NEED HELP!! Especially in picking up the books! Any helpers....??? PLEEEEASSSEEE???

Okay...b4 you think that I've abandoned this blog, I better write something :P Let me keep you up to date on what's happening now and why you are 'reading' lesser and lesser 'stories' and see only all these cut-and-paste events (which I think are equally important as well :P). Like I've mentioned before, I'm organising a little book donation this Christmas and since time is against me, I've gotta quickly get as much help as possible to organise the gathering of books from various donors, collecting and sorting out the books, and choosing the appropriate homes to donate them to. I know it sounds really easy and all...but trust me, it isn't. Especially when it comes to organising, planning and executing (something which I suck at!), and thinking and...having to juggle all these with work at the office is driving me nuts!! So now that you know...I'm off to bed! Catch you soon...! Oh ya...btw, my wedding's over....pics can be seen in my faceb...