Because Nobody Is Too Old For Chick Flicks

Assalamualaikum & hallo!

Among many blogpost tags I have on this blog, 'yes I read' is one of the tags that I wish I've updated it regularly

But like other former bookworms (there should be no such thing I believe), I also have this 'Buying books is one thing, reading them is another' phase where reading no longer becomes priority. I shall not allow myself to use a lame excuse like ' because I'm a lawyer & lawyers read a lot at work. So can I do something else beside reading when I'm done with work?' because I know some lawyers who are so keen & passionate on reading & they are not only working 9 to 5 everyday, they are also mothers to more than 1 kid at home. So many things to do yet they still manage to have some me time (albeit not quiet one I reckon) to be spent on books

While me? *chuckles*

I currently have 3 books waiting for me to finish them. Can almost hear them crying for my attention. Shhh! Hush hush babies! Mommy is busy watching some Korean & Japanese dramas at kissasian.com at the moment

 #nevertoooldforchickflicks

And I recently made it a habit to have my name stamped on the books I bought (and also A.H's books but I haven't really figured out how his name stamp works, hence the messy bolok pok stamps. Lols!) Just to add some sentimental values on them & juga buat kenang-kenangan pada hari-hari mendatang. Imagine having our kids or grand kids flipping through our old books & find our names stamped on them *beams with pride*

 "Awww  look! Mama/Grandma & Papa/Grandpa were lawyer & doctor once upon a time ago. Now look at them, carefree & traveling around the world!" 

Ye ye je kan berGrandma-Grandpa bagai. Sekali, Tok Ma & Tok Ayoh je titlenya. Lagi klasik, Tok Mek & Tok Cik. You thought you're western enough when budu & petai are your fav food? Setakat makan western food like chicken chop & lamb chop once in a while isn't western enough you see? -.-'

Anyway, I really hope my kids or grand kids won't question my choice of books. In my utmost defense, nobody is too old for chick flicks (age doesn't really matter) & one shall not be compelled to read books which are not her preference. So, please don't judge me, kids. Hehe! Obviously, I've different taste to compare with A.H's who is more interested on serious kind of books which I think I've had enough of those during the years I spent at the Law School

26/08/2016. Popular at Aeon Mall K.Bharu

Can you tell which are mine & him?

Because Nobody Is Too Old For Chick Flicks

Assalamualaikum & hallo!

While I was in KL last week, I managed to spend some times in the book stores & add 2 new books to my humble collection. It was an impulse purchase but unlike bajus, shoes & tudungs/shawls, does anyone need reason to justify why they buy books?

Click on the links if you want to read the reviews on Diagnosis 2 & Princess Diaries: Royally Obsessed

I've been reading these 2 books simultaneously but I think, you can guess which book I put my hands most on, ayte? Hehe! #nevertoooldforchickflicks

Read More Lah

Assalamualaikum & hi!

I've some New Year resolutions that I kept recycling from year to year (I'm sure that I'm not alone in that Department though. Lols!) & one of them is to read more books!

But as I clicked on 'Yes I Read' category on this blog, I realized that resolution has been warm-warm chicken's dropping only. Sigh! I've been using the same excuse over & over again that my job requires me to read a lot, that at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is to engage myself with some fun activities that don't require me to read. I've had enough of (heavy) readings at work, you see?

While on the same time, I feel like something is missing. How can one disregard her old hobby? I know some women who are working from 8 am to 5 pm, 5 days a week, having kid/kids but still have time to finish a few books in a month. Sigh! It's all about myself la yang tak berapa rajin 

And mungkin juga sebab preference pun dah berubah daripada minat baca buku English love stories zaman skirt kembang & riding horse carrier to travel from point A to B kepada bahan-bahan yang lebih berfaedah & berilmiah. Sis sedar sis bukan muda lagi & sis juga ada niat untuk menjadi lebih baik #sepohonkayudaunnyarimbun

Anyhow, I bought these 2 books in December last year

So colourful! Unlike the thick law statutes. Hehe!

"Demo Wasap Ambe Reply" 

This book is a complication of Q&A answered by Ustaz Azhar Idrus himself. Unlike other typical religious books,  it has colourful pages which are creatively illustrated as well. Seronok la baca buku campur dengan lawok2 UAI. Totally recommended. Price: RM18
.

"Catatan Mat Lutfi" 

This is Mat Lutfi's 1st book, published in 2015 if I'm not mistaken (read the preview here). I haven't got my hands on his 2nd book, Momen2 Mat Lutfi. This is a motivational book, in Mat Lutfi's way. If you know what I mean. Hehe! Terhibur baca. Price: RM25

I also keep a few books in my iBooks shelves, just to look cool in case I want to read something on the go, which rarely happens la sebab nanti battery cepat habis

Currently reading The Secret Garden. Have you seen the movie?

Sibuk nau nak baca buku itu ini, al-Quran selalu baca tak? #tarbiahsentap #semogakaksueinsaf

Bacalah

Assalamualaikum & hallo everyone!

Early this year, one of 2013 resolutions was to read more books. But I guess, reading has become something luxurious that I couldn't afford sometimes

It's embarrassing to admit but I only managed to finish reading 4 books throughout this year & 1 book at Google Books tapi tu pun tak habis. Muahehe!

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

2. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Dr Swee Chai Ang

3. Divas Don't Knit by Gil McNeil

4. Daughter of Persia by Sattareh Farman Farmaian

I've been thinking about this for quite some time but I think, I shall have read more religious books rather than novels, for instance a book about sirah Nabi etc. The last time I read a book about our 25 Prophets was when I was 10 & truth be told, some of the stories have become rustic in my mind :(

I really need to get my hands on that book again. As a muslim, I feel am obliged

When I was in Kinokuniya KLCC last Oct, I went out empty-handed despite being so rambang mata browsing through hundreds of novels & history books there. As if there was something that held or restrained me from buying them. Like, "Apaaa? Tidak cukup lagikah drama dalam hidup kau?". Gittew!

Plus, tengok drama online lagi feeling kot? At least you don't need to force or create imaginary scenes in your head. Cer kalau baca novel English zaman skirt kembang, tak ke susah nak imagine muka hero macam Lee Min Ho or Toma Ikuta (he was so fun & cute in Hana Kimi I can pengsannn!) tapi speak with thick old British accent? :P

A Blind Date

Oh, why not?

At least, if there's any disappointment, it will be literal & temporary only ;)

Happy Ending

The book I'm currently reading; Daughter of Persia 

I used to be one of the girls who would stay up till 2 to 3 a.m just to finish reading a book & later go to bed with a satisfied mind & smiling face. The fascinating journey to the the very last page of the book had always been exciting, provided that you found a perfect book that could immerse you in its story, no matter how thick the book is

Being an optimist person I am, my selection of books has always been the type of '... and they live happily ever after. The end." Don't you just love happy ending stories? :)

But it seems like the privilege of reading a book for pleasure has no longer mine. I don't know how long I'll take to finish reading this book because honestly, if you ask me to choose between a book & my bed after work, the latter wins anytime. #dilemaseorangpekerjamakangaji #adakahsudahtua?

My work involves reading, analyzing & solving other people's civil matters. (I should really find a more glamorous description for my job, you know to make it sound less *yawns* boring. Ok, let's us call us lawyers 'a black & white penguin rescuer'). And reading their files is like reading storybooks. The only difference is that, they're real & my source of gaji comes from their problems

And here I am babbling about a happy ending when mine isn't even in sight yet. Sigh!

Of Being A 'Diva' Who Doesn't Knit

Assalamualaikum & hello loves! ♥ 

Bought 2 novels, Divas Don't Knit & Regency High Society Affairs last weekend while waiting for my friend, Mija to fetch me at KL Sentral (she was 3 hours late! Thank Allah for 24 hours McD or else, I would have cried alone tepi dinding!)

It's been a few months since the last time I bought book(s), so when I saw the 'RM15/book' written on the cardboards among hundreds of books in the middle of KL Sentral, my heart literally jumped with joy :D

I'm a type of person who tends to judge a book by its cover. I mean, who would say no to a glossy, cute, bright & girlish book cover, ayte? It makes me more semangat to start reading it & at least, the book cover will help my mind to be more imaginative

Love the title!

Let's see how many days or weeks I would take to finish reading this. Time is so precious nowadays that sometimes (or most of the time), I prefer to spend my weekends sleeping or chilling doing nothing rather than forcing my brain to read. Our nature of job requires us to read, read & read. So, mungkin kerana itulah malas benau nak membaca but I couldn't agree more with this quote;

Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.

-Lisa See, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Imagine reading a book with a cup of hot cocoa & lots of delicious cupcakes (or kuaci pun bolehhh) while your eyes are being fested by this view;

Dapat tidur petang kat sini pun sodappp!

From Beirut to Jerusalem

One of my 2013 resolutions is to read more, 12 books at least. So far, I've been reading 2 books which are  A Thousand Splendid Suns & From Beirut to Jerusalem

I've started reading the second book more than a month ago but there's always something coming in my way, maka sampai sekarang pun belum habis. Tsk! Anyhow, this book deserves a standing ovation. It isn't just about some ordinary stories about Palestine & Israel as it's more honest in telling you of what really happened there

The author, Dr Swee Chai Ang, who was born in Penang & raised in Singapore before migrating to UK, is an orthopaedic surgeon who worked with civilians during the Lebanese Civil War. The book details her eye-witness account of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Dr. Ang, a graduate of the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Britain, testified before the Kahan Commission which was responsible for investigating the nature of the Israeli involvement in the massacre of perhaps 800 to 1000 Palestinians. Dr. Ang established a British charity following her first hand account of the massacres known as the Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) which she discusses in her work. (source: Wikipedia)

Though she was a Christian, the calling for humanity made her determine to join the troop to help those in need in Palestine

This book was published in 1989, thus some stories might be quite outdated. Nonetheless, reading this has given me an eye opener that what has been shown & covered by the mass media was nothing on par with the trauma & hardship those people in Palestine had/have to bear

I rate this book 4.5/5. My eyes got teary at some pages, you know? T_T May Allah protect our brothers & sisters in Palestine, Syria, Burma & around the world

Love & Betrayal

Assalamualaikum & happy Sunday, loves! ♥ How are you today?

This is the conversation between me & my Father in the car, on the way to the office this morning;

Abah: Internet tak ok ke?

Saya: Tak. Banyak minggu dah

A few phone calls had been made to TM Net but there is no progress yet so far. Of course there were times I felt so fed up & couldn't help myself to hate whoever the culprit for the internet cable thief. Don't they have anything better to do? And have they ever felt guilty & know the meaning of sins? Sigh!

Anyway, life without internet means I've got to find some alternative to keep my days go by without me spending much time on bed. I'm such a sleepyhead; I can sleep anytime regardless the abundant of hours of sleep I've qadha-ed earlier. Hehe! So, reading is one of the alternatives beside watching TV or movies, eating, playing The Sims or dotting my cats. And the grown up Suria think she has had enough of cheesy love novels & now opts for other genres of novels pulak. She said why she must bother to read other people's love stories when her own stories are no less than Romeo & Juliet versi budu? 

I'm exaggerating but you've got the point, alright?

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Click here for book review

I have heard a lot of good reviews about Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner' but haven't had the chance to lay my hands on any of it. So, when my schoolmate, Ain recommended this book {when I paid her a visit at her grandparents' house, she just came back from Edinburgh for good at that time & brought home boxes of books! Heaven! ♥}, I know I just have to read it. The book, however had to wait for about a year on the book shelf before I finally had the time to savour my times flipping its pages. Kalau dia pandai bercakap, probably it would have said, "What took you so long, Missy?! You no like me?!"

Hehe!

The book is good, 3.5/5. Would like to rate 4 or 5 but I seem to not agree on some parts. If you haven't read it; go, get a copy, read & have your own judgment because I'm not going to spoil it. I cried a bit though towards the ending because reading a letter from a father to his illegitimate child whom he denied her rights & sent her away to marry a man {a shoe maker I may add} who is about 25 years older than her is too heart wrenching! Imagine a betrayal from your father when you were just 15 & had nobody to stand up for you. Ok, dah spoilkan sikit. Cannot tahan. And yes Kakak, when you came to my room that night & saw my teary eyes, yes yes I was crying because of this book. Tsk!

Bosannya book review. Begitulah juga bosannya kehidupanku semenjak ketiadaan internet di rumah. Sekian

Where Rainbows End

Bought a novel 'Where Rainbows End' at a convenient store in LCCT last week while waiting for my flight home. It was a random pick after almost 30 minutes browsing through the shelves. I remember crying teresak-esak watching P.S. I Love You, a movie based on Cecelia Ahern's novel, thus this book instantly scored its points without having to try hard with its girlish book cover

Click here for the book review 

All in all, the book is fun but it got me annoyed at some chapters that I couldn't help myself but to get angryyyy & geram. Haih! Lesson to learn; if you love somebody, just let him/her know. Even if it turns out later that it's just one sided love, at least you've tried ayteee? Rather than umur 50 & after a failure in marriage, a divorce & kid(s), then baru berani nak confess. It's the effort that counts most, remember!

Tiba-tiba cakap macam kita ni pro sangat. Kalau pro, tak ada la sampai sekarang pun membujang. Lols!

Because She's A Keeper

Went to Sunway Pyramids with Mira & her sister a few days before the final exam dengan niat asal Mira adalah untuk memberi toiletries. Hips sungguh kawan mek nak beli toiletries jauh-jauh saja -.-'

Anyway, had a short visit to Popular & fall in love with this book, Dosa-dosa Wanita Yang Di anggap Lazim by Syeikh Nada Abu Bakar. It was really love at first sight sebab bila belek-belek sahaja, terus terbaca muka surat yang menyentapkan hati. Sungguh menginsafkan diri, lantas selepas beberapa kali membelek isi kandungannya, mek terus mengendongnya ke kaunter because I know, she's a keeper ♥

Anyway, the book is divided into a few chapters such as Dosa Wanita Secara Umum, Pelbagai Kepercayaan Terpesong Lain, Dosa Wanita Mengenai Perkahwinan & Interaksi Dengan Suami, Dosa Wanita Mengenai Busana & Perhiasan etc

For RM40, this is like a mini encyclopedia. Worth every cent spent, Alhamdulillah 

 

Anyway, here among a few pages that made me go insaf. I'm not pointing all my 10 fingers to anyone but this is gentle reminder yang kadang-kadang benda yang kita anggap biasa tu actually tak elok mengikut agama

 

 Hukum berlemah-lembut & memperindahkan kata-kata semasa bercakap dengan lelaki yang bukan mahram

 

 Hukum mengenakan kanta lekap berwarna sebagai hiasan

I was in the kitchen with the Sister this evening;

Saya: Hari tu Sue beli buku. Nanti Sue bagi. Ada dalam kotak
Kakak: Kak Ja pun ada beli buku jugak hari tu. Nanti Kak Ja bagi
Saya: *dalam hati* Buku gapo la mek ni beli. Mesti novel english. Habis ko dok baco tau

*a few mins later*

Kakak: *puts the book on the table*
Saya: Laaaa, Sue pun beli buku ni! Buku ni la yang Sue nak bagi :O
Kakak: Ye keeee?

So, now we have 2 copies of Dosa-dosa Wanita Yang Di anggap Lazim. It shows how good the book is, ayte? ;) Anyone living around K.Bharu wants to pinjam, also cannn! 

Go go! Get a copy of yours now!

The Duke Is Mine

Went to AEON Bukit Tinggi Shopping Centre, Klang with Nobby & Shaf on Saturday evening with a mission to finish off our RM200 Voucher Buku 1 Malaysia

I had spent my first RM50 Voucher buying 3 books at Kedai Buku Jaafar Rawas, Kota Bharu {a quite popular book store among the local people especially on friday} & since semester ini we don't need to buy many text books or statutes as compared to first semester, maka agak buntu nak habiskan untuk tujuan apa

Anyway, after a few steps into Popular, I laid my sight on this book & without having much thoughts, terus ambil masuk bakul

 Read the synopsis here

I never read any of Eloisa James' book so I didn't have any high expectation on her. The Duke is Mine is okay for me, managed to finish reading it in about 9 hours with some naps in between :P I would rate it 3/5

My all time favourite author is Philippa Gregory, who wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl. I've been so in love with the way she narrates her stories {especially those in Tudor period} as she's also an established historian & a Ph.D holder in that area

Seronokkan baca buku pasal zaman di mana para jejaka turun ke medan perang manakala para gadis memakai skirt kembang? Walaupun mek Kelate pure & mempunyai perfect dialect of Kelantanese {hingga di tegur oleh Kakak baru-baru ini kenapa text msg mek sungguh darat bunyinya -.-'}, tidak salah bukan jika mek pun ingin sama feeling-feeling begitu?

Although, this was the closest I could get. Lol!

Somerset Bay, Queensbay Mall, Penang | 2006

Lepas tu, Syikin, Amal & Ila amik turn amik gambar tempat sama. Those good old days during Pre Degree Law, innocent & happy girls we were :)

Les Livres

It's been a long time since I indulged myself into that moments. Truth be told, I'm tired of reading books without any illustration or picture in them, as if what we've had in the classrooms & library aren't already enough. Hehe!

Have to bersiap! Dayah's coming to pick me out for a sunny outing & I hope she won't complain of the traffic jam & all :P

Day 23 - Your favorite book

My mini al-Quran, given by Abah when I started my degree 3 years ago

When I'm down & at the lowest point of my life, its words soothe me & remind me that I'm not & never alone in this world :) And hopefully, I'll never stop appreciating & admiring the beauty of its words even when I'm at the best moment of my life, Amin..

Di samping itu, I used to be a big fan of Philippa Gregory's novels but being the final year student took its toll on me & suddenly having a 'me time' where I could let my imagination runs free whilst reading the novel seems like a very rare luxury

{via philippagregory official website}

I've 3 of the novels above plus 1 psychological thriller novel that I borrow from Faizal. Kena cepat-cepat khatam, buka semester ni kena return dah -.-'

Dah lama stop baca novel but awal-awal cuti hati tu try to get the momentum back. Currently trying to finish reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini & Mistress of Spice by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni & these are among a few novels that I borrow from my schoolmate, Ain Kamalaldin who just finished her studies at University of Edinburgh last April. Berkotak-kotak novel & buku beliau bawa balik dari sana y'all, rambang mata mek melihatnyaaa!

Tapi rasa tamak pulak nak khatam 3 sekaligus, walhal baca dalam kereta je kot?

Born Rich

Have you ever dreamed being born into an elite family, with family's fortune could make every thing that crossed your mind becomes possible? You attend a private school, have nannies attending your needs all the time, you even have your future planned for you before you are born

Maybe these young children of Russian oligarchs are the epitome of our dreams

 

Vadim on his roof terrace, Moscow 2009

Nikita & Alina at the Italian Embassy, Moscow 2009

Antoshka as a Hussar, Moscow 2010

 Ilona & Ella on a rowing boat, Moscow 2009

Vova standing in his grandfather's theater, Moscow 2010

 Lisa sitting on her dining table, Moscow 2010

"... they live in a secluded world. Some leave that world, to go to a public ballet school, for example. Their parents are attempting to make up for the Soviet times -- they only want the best for their children. They receive private language lessons, they go swimming or play tennis. The lives of these children are very planned and regimented. That forces them to grow up quicker." -Anna Skladmann, the photographer

{credits to Spiegel Online}