Hooked On Bookz

My hubby shared this wonderful story with me and I'd like to share it with you too :) There was a farmer who collected horses; he only needed one more breed to complete his collection. One day, he found out that his neighbor had the particular horse breed he needed. So, he constantly bothered his neighbor until he sold it to him. A month later, the horse became ill and he called the veterinarian, who said: "Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days. I'll come back on the 3rd day and if he's not better, we're going to have to put him down." Nearby, the pig listened closely to their conversation. The next day, they gave him the medicine and left. The pig approached the horse and said: "Be strong, my friend. Get up or else they're going to put you to sleep!" On the second day, they gave him the medicine and left. The pig came back and said: "Come on buddy, get up or else you're going to die! Come on, I'll h...

Yes, I know I posted alot of stuff today. Just that this one is too good to be left out... The article is fantastic! I loved it so much I just have to keep it on my blog. Click here for the full story. Image from: bbc.co.uk

Honestly, I'm not a real fan of second hand books, (unless of course, they are still in pristine condition, which is rare) purely because it aches me to see the book not being given its TLC. But secondhand books are places where you can find stories of their previous owners, which could go waaaay back. For example, this writer found, between the pages of Isaac Asimov's early short stories which she bought at a local fair, letters that hinted a "love story". If you're too busy to read entire story , you can read the gist of it here: (You'll love this!!) "When I got them home I found, stuffed between volumes two and three, a small envelope bearing 12p-worth of stamps and a franking mark that seemed to admonish the writer for the lack of postcode. The date said 20 February, 1981, and the letter was posted on the Sussex coast, several hundred miles from the West Yorkshire town where I bought the books. There were three-and-a-half letters in there. The three...

First, let me clarify this. This is half fiction, half real life ok :P It's a little bit of me and a little bit of my wandering mind. While clearing my bowels this morning, this conversation started playing in my head. So, I decided to write it here haha It's a conversation between a mother and her book-obsessive daughter, who recently quit her job and decided to take a break from the corporate world. The mother was very displeased about it. Scene: Dining room in one of the many Malaysian homes. Mom fixing lunch. Mom: What you doing? (Her back facing her daughter.) Daughter: Aiyoh, reading lah. (Rolls her eyes. Sensing what's coming.) Mom: Don’t you have anything else to do? (Sounding a little annoyed as all she sees her daughter does all day is reading. It was so difficult to get her to read when she was a child, and now she’s reading like there’s no tomorrow!) Daughter: Yeah, after this, write review. Mom: You get paid for doing this? Daughter: Nope. (Rather non...

Here it is, my first Saturday Night Story story! "The Day The TV Died" is a story about a couple whose TV broke down a few days before CNY eve and the drama that unfolded when they were told that they won't be getting their new TV delivered on time . It was two days before Chinese New Year Eve, that our 10 year-old, second hand television, acted up again, and man, were we furious, as we were half way through watching ‘Shutter’ on DVD! First, my husband tapped and thumped to revive it. Usually, that worked. But this time, even as we caressed and cajoled, it didn’t react! Not even a flicker of hope! Instead it gave us a blank, black screen, leaving us agonised and tortured in suspense. “Arggh! What do we do now?! Stupid, old TV. Of all days, today! And nearing CNY somemore. Damn suay lor!” I let out my frustration. “What to do. Angry also no use. Have to buy a new set lah,” my husband, responded in his usual, calm manner. Nothing gets on his nerves easily. Even I. Since ...

I saw this on guardian.co.uk and thought you book lovers might love this too! :) Top shelves Every booklover has their favourite shop, and while it's true that many independents have been driven out of business by online sales and supermarket bestsellers, you still don't have to look too hard to find one that's thriving. To prove it, Sean Dodson chooses the 10 bookshops from around the world which he considers to be the fairest of them all 1) Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht What does a city do with an 800-year-old church with no congregation? Well, it could make like the Dutch and convert it into a temple of books. The old Dominican church in Maastricht was being used for bicycle storage not long ago, but thanks to a radical refurbishment by Dutch architects Merkx + Girod it has been turned into what could possibly be the most beautiful bookshop of all time. The Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen, which opened just before Christmas, retains the character and charm ...

Friend of Willy the Wizard author Adrian Jacobs says addition of JK Rowling to suit raises possibility of multi-jurisdiction action Publishers could face legal action worldwide over claims that JK Rowling stole ideas for Harry Potter from a British author's book called The Adventures of Willy the Wizard. The estate of the late Adrian Jacobs yesterday added Rowling as a defendant in a case originally filed in June against Bloomsbury Publishing, Potter's UK publisher, for alleged copyright infringement. Max Markson, a PR executive representing the estate, told the Guardian the addition of Rowling's name to the action opened up the possibility of multi-jurisdiction action. "We believe that she [Rowling] personally plagiarised the Willy the Wizard book. All of Willy the Wizard is in the Goblet of Fire. We now have a case which is not just against Bloomsbury." Markson, who was a friend of Jacobs, said Rowling was added to the lawsuit after it was learned that the sta...

Hi all! CNY is finally here! So to those who are celebrating CNY, here's wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year! May you be showered with lots of love, joy and peace too! This will be my 2nd year giving out Ang Pows. Big big hole in pocket this time, coz we're officially celebrating it here! Last year, we only celebrated the last few days of CNY, so damage wasn't that bad haha :P Till I busy myself with books and blogging again, take care and have a wonderful holiday! Yours, Bookaholic.

When does one of the world's busiest people find the time to read? Her answer is surprising: "I don't watch television," she says. "I don't have to, because my friend Gayle watches more television than anyone—she couldn't believe I wanted to have a house without a TV room!" Oprah continues, laughing. "Honest to God, true story: Stedman and I had been in the house four or five months when he said he was going out to a friend's to watch a football game. Suddenly I thought maybe I'd seen a television set somewhere upstairs. When we found it, Stedman said, 'You mean there's been a TV in this house all this time?'" Given how Oprah looks forward to her reading time—"It's a ritual," she says—it's easy to see how a lone television might have escaped her notice. "This is the thing," she explains. "I come here, and I'm so fulfilled. I will rarely go out. I can just entertain myself." The o...

The novelist, well known for the iconic The Catcher In The Rye , died on January 27th 2010, aged 91. What a great loss to those who've enjoyed some of his published works. I've only read The Catcher In The Rye (reviewed it here: http://worldliteratures.suite101.com/article.cfm/review_of_catcher_in_the_rye_by_jd_salinger) which I loved. As reported in AFP, the author's death has reignited speculation over whether he may have left behind some valuable works which could be published posthumously. Salinger did reveal in a 1980 interview with the Boston Sunday Globe that he was still producing - albeit not for an audience. I loved what he said: "I love to write, and I assure you I write regularly. But I write for myself and I want to be left absolutely alone to do it." A great author who rejected fame and fortune. And yet there are so many writers out there struggling to get noticed, to get published, to get their stories made into movies. Did you know there have b e...

Online retailer may be on target for sales of 500,000 Kindle e-readers over Christmas Katie Allen guardian.co.uk , Monday 28 December 2009 19.29 GMT Spare a thought for the humble hardback this Christmas. It seems the traditional giftwrapped tome is being trumped by downloads, after Amazon customers bought more e-books than printed books for the first time on Christmas Day. As people rushed to fill their freshly unwrapped e-readers – one of the top-selling gadgets this festive season – the online retailer said sales at its electronic book store quickly overtook orders for physical books. Its own e-reader, the Kindle, is now the most popular gift in Amazon's history. Amazon's shares rose sharply today after it updated investors on a strong Christmas performance. On its peak day, 14 December, the retailer said customers ordered more than 9.5m items worldwide, the equivalent of a record-breaking 110 items a second. The Seattle-based company's top sellers in its home market in...

My relationship with Books wasn't serious before...especially during my college and uni years. Our relationship used to be more of a on-and-off thing, 'cuz on one hand, I couldn't stand not being around Books, but on the other hand, I couldn't help flirting with Parties and Men. But now that I had enough of those two, and that age is catching up (:P), I decided to take my relationship with Books to a different level. I want us to be closer. I want us to spend as much time as we could together, without having to get rid of Work (and Hubby too of course haha). (Work helps me pay the bill and get to Books, Hubby gives 2-way-street love :P) So these days, I bring Books wherever I go - the restaurant, my travels, shopping centres, toilet (oops. eek? :P), office, car, etc . It wasn't easy at first, because I was afraid to be associated with the Geeks and Nerds. But the fear wore off when I got used to it. Slowly it became almost like a habit. Now, I don't feel complet...

Sorry my dear readers, World Book Day's on the 23rd of April which is 2 wks later, not today haha Look how excited I can get when it comes to books! LOL!

Hi Salihah, To your question, "Can i know what r da interesting things of Haruki Murakami n Roald Dahl dat make u like their books? bcoz it was my 1st time heard their names hehe who knows i can be their fan too =) tq" Answer: Haruki Murakami is because of his wild, beautiful imaginations....His stories are very surreal, almost hypnotic (to me at least! haha) and can transport out of this world. If you want to get a feel of his stories, try reading Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman :) Best to read his stories at night ;) Whereas for Roald Dahl , I like his dark humour. They'll make you smile (I enjoy his short stories) and the best part is...his endings are always with a twist! Give him a try ;) Best to read his short stories when you're bored watching the repetitive TV commercials haha Book image is taken from: http://www.boghallen.dk/Uploaded/9780099488668/blind-willow_20000_550.jpg

Li Shian, thank you so much for featuring my blog in your papers, Kosmo! My counter went up, up, up! haha How nice if the share market works the same way too hehe To those of you who'd like to read the story but didn't manage to get a copy of Kosmo!, here's the online version: http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2009&dt=0408&pub=Kosmo&sec=Infiniti&pg=in_02.htm To my hubby and all my friends, you have been an inspiration to me, thank you so much! If not coz of you guys, my blog would be dead by now too haha Hey Kavita, I really hope you're reading this, coz you're a big part of my blog! If not coz of you, this idea wouldn't have occured to me! Btw, if you're wondering why I'm not updating my blog as regularly as before, it's coz just recently, I've been contracted to work part time, so my hands are kinda tied (to the steering wheel, that is. The traffic jam is killing me! By the time I get home, it's usually 8pm already...

The KL Design Week (KLDW) team wanted to have a green agenda as part of KLDW that runs till April 4th (which is tomorrow). So anyway, they got designers from all over the world to participate and create designs for bags that urge people to save our environment. These designer bags can be seen all over Capsquare, Kuala Lumpur, hung on 100 actual trees around its food and entertainment centre. And two of my friend's designs are out there too! Joe, if you're reading this, congrats! Good job! KLDW, great effort! Keep it up! Pictures courtesy of the designer himself, my dear friend, Joe Chan! Thanks Joe :)

A good friend of mine asked me to blog about this. And I'd like to thank him for sending me this great reminder. It is a great video, with a very important message. This song made me realise a few things: 1) I'm very very fortunate to have all my basic needs fulfilled 2) I must learn to appreciate what I have On the other hand, it also made me think how it would feel like to be in their shoes; stranded in the streets, ignored, forgotten and unwanted, and how I'd wish that someone would hear my cry for help. Instead, I see signboards like "Please Don't Give to Beggars. They cause traffic." How thoughtful is that? We get so involved in this rat race that we begin to want more of everything; more money, more cars, more houses, more riches, more fame, that we care only for ourselves. Our greed and selfishness have led to consequences that are affecting everything around us - the earth, the economy, the level of poverty and sickness, the people, the earth and natur...

Came across this while surfing. Kavita, if you're reading this, some inspiration from here maybe? hehehehehe Weirdest Celebrity Baby Name s Here are the nominees: 1)Sunday Rose Urban (Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban's daughter) 2)Bronx Mowgli Wentz (Ashlee Simpson's son) 3)Zuma Nesta Rock Rosdale (Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rosdale's daughter) 4)Knox Leon & Vivienne Marcheline Jolin-Pitt 5)Nakoa Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa (Denise from the Cosby Show) 6)Atlas Heche Tupper (Anne Heche's son) 7)Mars Merkaba (Erykah Badu & Bf's daughter) Guess which one won the title? haha No. 2 I would have voted for No. 5 maaan....What was Denise thinking?! Source: http://celebrities.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=365088&showcomments=true

My hubby shared this with me today (twas also in The Star), and I totally agree with the writer. In fact I shared the same sentiment with my hubby just yesterday haha TheStar - Wednesday March 25, 2009 Earth Hour is a mere publicity stunt I READ with amazement and irony the efforts of WWF Malaysia to latch on to the Earth Hour event and all the celebrities, media and corporations that have come up in support. It is amazing that people are so easily taken in by a mere publicity stunt that fails at the very essence. Turning off our lights for one hour on one designated day of the year to save our planet surely is a PR event at best. It shames the thousands of devoted people, government bodies, scientists and environmentalists that have for years been working on finding real solutions to address this global concern. Malaysians should see past this gimmick by international NGOs and start changing their lifestyles. Surely we can be more proactive and not be fed by an agenda of internationa...

I recently picked up Her World for an assignment I was working on, and I was drawn to one particular article titled 'From the Heart'. This story is about Elizabeth Tan, 52, who was a regular homemaker until year 2000 when she was hospitalised. After a successful operation, she was determined to pursue a more meaningful life. So she prayed for guidance, and this led her to joining the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). And in less than a year later, she decided to help out at Rumah Perlindungan Social, a shelter for girls and women. Now she dedicates most of her time to running the home and remains on call 24/7. Btw, she has a full-time job to juggle with as well. Her story really inspired me. So I called her and asked her if there's anything I could do to help. W e spoke for awhile, and guess what? I'll be paying the shelter a visit this weekend! Not sure what I can do yet, but I hope I can be useful! :) To know how you can help too, click on this image!