Author: livingseri

the weird sisters

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The Weird SistersThe Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

not a literary wow but it was nice to read something light and simple. a family good feel kind of story. i like the characters sisters and the narration makes me feel like i am really reading out loud their story.

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i am drawn to this book simply by its title. i have always liked stories about sisters, even better if its about twins.(of course you would know my head over heels over the Charmed sisters madness) so when i bought this book, no expectations although review wasn’t so well. i am glad i read it, and finish it within three days at that! as per my review, it was not literary wow and it doesnt really have a storyline of mystery or something, it was simply a feel good-happy ending kind of family story. simple and light reading.

but i found i rather liked the characters Rose, Biance and Cordelia. and i could no help sometimes understanding Rose more, being the eldest sister. i rather connected with her character. being the eldest, being there, leading the way, taking care of things and there to hold your back should you fall.

i hope i have been that sister for my sisters. i love them so and we have gotten so close. but marriage kind of bring me a part. i want to be there for them. i want to be their listening ear. i want to be the one they tell secrets too. i miss sleeping with them. i miss talking with them before sleeping. i miss all the annoying things they did like forever making a mess of the room and i ended up cleaning everything again and again.

sisters. love them. cant live without them. there will always be differences among us, we will sometimes hate each other, but at the end of it all. as sisters, we just want the best for each other. and yes, their opinion matters. a lot. and at this age, my sisters are the best friends. and we are not weird. we are charmed 😛

I love you Siti. I love you Nuri.

body works

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not feeling well. it is a pattern i know so well now. be done with all the craziness at work and then my body will seek the attention it needs by being sick. it always is. come december and i believe i have a bit of slow pace for work. i need to slow down for awhile and start thinking and planning effectively. and there is a lot of thinking to do. i also need to be less cranky.

november has always been crazy every year. ptc and graduation and this year with a training i got myself involved into. i pretty much enjoyed them all despite the hardwork it was to get them done. really hardwork. my brain and body just focused on the job needs to be done that i dont seem to care about anything else but getting the job done properly. it was adrenaline.

but now, my body needs to rest. so let’s focus on getting better now and recuperate well.

1Q84

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1Q84 (1Q84, #3)1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, 1Q84 is a great read. all emotions in three volumes. i truly loved book 1 and 2 but not so much book 3.
although after the excitement in book 1 and 2, i really do feel book 3 is becoming less necessary. it could ended well in book 2. i dont like the ushikawa character, i thought he doesnt fit in well with the storyline, the rhythm of the story, like why suddenly he become a ‘semi protagonist’ after aomame and tengo?? i dont want to hear his point of the story. the only flaw is book 3. really wished it could have been a better continuation to it and make more sense of 1Q84, the year.

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overspent

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oh God.

i am terribly sleepy now. and it is very rare nowadays for me to actually feel sleepy. i just sleep because i had to. and it was always a ‘disturbed’ kind of sleep, where i woke up in the middle of the night and then had difficulty sleeping again.

i have just spent two evenings sorting out my clothes and bags. there’s a community service centre going to collect them. so it was definitely a good opportunity for me to give away, some unused clothes, shoes, bags and watches that i bought and didnt even wore them.

i finally had one large bag for clothes, one large ikea bag of books, some bags, and another bag filled with watches never worn and bracelets of all colours. i really hope they could give them to those who would actually wear them. and i have got to stop spending. but i was happy packing them away, putting the small items into plastic packages. the stuff all looks brand new, of course, i hadnt had the chance to wear them. the idea was to re-sell them but im really not cut out for business. giving them away makes more sense to me. i honestly love giving gifts!

this spending is really a chronic disease. i think it has something to do with insecurity? some pent up spending energy that i did not get to fulfill? maybe something i really need or wanted which i didnt or couldnt get perhaps?

in any case, the busy-ness i am having the whole of this month will perhaps control me.

i still, by the way, love giving gifts.

a principal’s prayer

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Ya Allah, you are the best Planner, plan for me, guide me, help me find the best teachers to teach and nurture these young children. It is not up to my discretion, but Yours Ya Allah. I cannot do this on my own. They need You. I need You. I need Your help. I need your guidance to make the right decision and to have the best teachers. Open their hearts to have the confidence to make da’wah and nurture these young children in Your masjid. Open my heart to receive them. Open parents’ heart to this masjid.

Amiin.

the heart beats. in prose

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the heart beats.
and the heart beats.
and the heart beats.
and the tears flutter.
and the jugular vein whispers.
and the soul is alive.

the heart beats.
and the enveloping verses.
and my very being embraces.
a love i cannot see.
a forgiveness i could feel.
oh the soul was in hunger.
and the soul is alive.

the heart beats.
and the heart beats.
and the heart beats.
of every second a gift.
come back my dear.
do not stray.
come back to love.
come back to forgiveness.

the heart beats.

the heart beats

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i have never realised listening to Mishary using headphones can be so encompassing, surrounding my space and leaving no space in my brain to think of anything else but listen to the verses.

and the heart beats. the heart beats. the heart beats in awe. and the tears flutter. and the soul is alive.

dont get me wrong. you know earphones have always been the lesser effect than headphones. its just today that i put on the headphones instead of normal earphones to listen to Mishary’s recitation of Taha.

dear headphones. you certainly have found a role more important than the songs we listen to.

1Q84 – pre review

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i am on book 3 of 1Q84 and i cannot wait to write something about it. i know i usually do this after completing the book. but the urge to express this means i do it now.

reading book 3 feels so different after reading book 1 and 2. it’s like reading a different book altogether!
its like, after a peak on the graph, it suddenly goes down. for one thing, i dont like this ushikawa character. no doubt, i realised, after reading other reviews that this ushikawa was a character in one of haruki’s novel and making an appearance in 1Q84, not just an appearance, he is quite a role in the third book. readers who have read the novel he appeared in prior to this might be able to relate to his character. but i dont. he appeared in book 2 but i didnt think he could then play a ‘major’ role in book 3! it’s like out of nowhere, suddenly, he is part of the main character. this is supposed to be about aomame and tengo and their narrations, so why does ushikawa suddenly takes centre stage? if he is to be an important character, i thought he would have been put in since book 1 so i could get acquainted with him. not now, when i was in love with aomame and tengo and the idea that they will meet in book 3. i just want aomame and tengo. no one else. and even fuka eri, komatsu, dowager, tamaru, professor ebisuno. them i like.

its a drag to read at this point of time because i think there is a whole lot of repetitions at every chapter. there’s no excitement, no adventure of what is going to happen next. nothing mysterious as it had been in book 1 and book 2. i am close to disappointment, but i am keeping that on hold because about 1/5 of the book. i know it is too early to judge. i seriously hope it will get better by the time i reach chapter 6.

and please. stop with this ushikawa person.

unlearnt and relearn

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it took me approximately 15 hours, spread out between two days, to type out two assignments.

and this is considered i am really giving my full attention to the assignment at hand. of course with the occasional facebooking and instagramming and even online shopping!

i am in the midst of my very last assignment from my counseling special diploma course and then i can truly say i have completed my studies for this year. the thing is i dont seem to have the urge to be the number one in this course. being an adult, so to speak, old, my concern is to, really, just breeze through the classes, learnt the concepts and theories and skills and no exams so much the better. there is definitely no sense of competition, everyone just wants to learn from one another. they don’t even mind if i happen to be an extreme introvert on certain days. i dont like to be forced to speak up or forced to present or being put in the position where i have to be the one doing the presentation, as it always happen back in degree days.

i have to say taking up this course is one of the better choices i made. albeit i am paying the fees purely from my own salary and depleting my savings terribly but i guess, the skills i learnt are very useful in my line of work. although, learning is always easy, putting them into practice is another whole different story. but i guess i like the challenge. and being the pseudo advisor to so many people is not an easy feat to uphold. i put such high expectations on myself i guess. i have to stop that.

anyway, i have many challenges coming up soon. much soon. i pray for health, strength and wisdom in these hard times.

today is the last day of 1435 hijrah year. i would like to have a bit of reflection on that. next post soon. got to get back to my few hundred words left on this last assignment. but i am on a writing mode i guess. i even have a blank word doc ready with a title for a short story. another time.

1Q84

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1Q84 (1Q84, #2)1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love it! Love the suspense. love the unexpected storyline. love that uncertain possibility of aomame and tengo meeting one another. and so grateful that there is at least a narration of Air Chrysalis ‘read with Aomame’ because I wanted so much to know what the story in the novella. so it’s like a novella within a book. great. from fantasy to thriller unfolding to something like a love story. but it’s all organized nicely. perfect.

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