still.remembering

landline

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LandlineLandline by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Hmm nope not for me. I only persevered just to see how predictable it can get. I liked the idea of some magic phone going to the past, but then i got disappointed because i really wasnt able to relate. It felt insignificant sometimes. Its just so random and if it’s supposed to be a magical christmas thingy, i cant feel the magic.

And having georgie going back and forth past and present, reminiscing the past every other chapter gets repetitive. And where is neal in the present tense?! It is so unlogical that everytime she called him in the ‘present’ he’s always not around?! I felt its a bit unfair that georgie is going through this ‘alone’.

At the end of it, we have a ‘it didnt fix anything, it didnt change anything…..georgie hadnt made any real decisions…’ So im thinking why bother all these then? But i get it, she finally made the right choice…but going through a week just for this? I felt cheated. And then a sudden brief confession of love from seth. Im like, that’s it? Seth is not fighting for her love? After 20 yrs? Why now? I dont know i just, I dont like any of the characters.

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library nerd

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i am re-finding the joy of borrowing books from the library. despite the to-be-reads all lined up nicely on my bookshelves at my vacation home. i am suddenly finding joy in the books i can borrow, enjoy the read and having no commitment to keep it.

I should have realised this before. but please, do not take me wrongly, i still love my books that i owned, they are from authors i loved, series and academic books. academic by which i meant books on religion and education.

borrowing books also forced me to read within the period of loan and so far, i have enjoyed reading the books i borrowed that i have not stopped reading for days now. it’s one book after another.

and i loved it that i could reserve a book and able to borrow it within a few days. albeit paying $1.55 for every successful reservation, but compared to saving about $20 every time i actually bought one book, i’m on it! if i loved the book i will keep it, if i dont, i try to sell it away but which will take forever sometimes, and if there’s no luck, i give it away, hoping someone else will find joy reading it. so i guess, for books which i am not sure if whether i will love, i probably will borrow first.

and libraries nowadays are updated. so far, my search on ‘latest’ or new books, have not yet disappoint me.

and it also gives me this motivation to read up the books i owned and have not touched yet. having that anchor of reading within a short period of time. giving reviews, even if no one else reads it and it is purely for my own thoughts. perhaps practice will make perfection. so i am slowly practising, and reading others’ reviews and learn from their writing styles, finding and writing one that reflects my own reading pattern and passion and writing. because at the end of it, i am not trained as a writer. maybe i should take up some course.

I am aiming to read differently too. I mean, reading has always been just reading for stories, for escape, for a different life. but i don’t read smart sometimes. i want to read and be able to write good reviews about the book. Maybe it could benefit someone out there.

let’s do this.

book review: the story of a new name

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The Story of a New Name (The Neapolitan Novels #2)The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The saga of Elena and Lila continues. This books will make you angry, will make you sad and laugh, and sometimes, just feel satisfied with how things turned out for the girls, whether it is good or some may say, bad.

I am going to be bias, i have not yet liked Lila’s character so far, not in the first book (My Brilliant Friend), not even now, especially when Lila fell in love with Nino! I have always been on Elena’s side, perhaps it is because ‘Elena’ is writing this story for us. Probably because maybe in some ways i can relate to Elena best than Lila. Lila is still as selfish as in the first, so oblivious to Elena, while Elena on the other hand, has never really opened up to Lila despite their closeness. I could perhaps, would appreciate a Lila’s point of view in all that has happened to her.

I am glad that Elena’s life is turning out better and perhaps the two protagonists’ success in life is from totally different perspectives. It is very realistic, that life don’t always turn out the way we dreamed during childhood. The turn of events, most times beyond our control, but also how we reacted to what is presented in front of us.

I’m thinking, i cannot wait to read on, because of that mention on Nino. although i don’t like his character too in this second book. but i felt i need to ‘rest’ from this saga at the moment before moving on.

Please, someone make a drama series out of this!

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bliss

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IMG_8733

Such bliss to be in this room. Surrounded by books and silence that i could bask in. This is sanity. this is sanctuary. at times like this, i am deeply grateful. i am sometimes speechless and countless to just list out what is it that i am grateful for.

 

new lease

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new lease of life. for the blog, i mean. i have been thinking of how to re-vamp and re-value this blog. i have so many ideas but i feel like the current blog doesnt seem to fit in with my idea. i want it to be like a magazine kind of blog where i can update or write about topics that can benefit others. things like my experiences in teaching and leading, my book reviews, my poems, my travels, my bookmark crafts if i could one day portray them out here. i also have this dream of writing about our young teachers around and hope to inspire the others. i dont know, i have many ideas. trying to find out the best layout that is user friendly and just suits my personality. i want to retain my livingseri name, just the way i want to present the blog, and perhaps, be ready for the world to read.

book review: the marble collector

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The Marble CollectorThe Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Marble Collector has two protagonists. Sabrina Boggs – an only daughter to estranged parents, in her early thirties, a mother with three sons and going through a tense marriage at the moment – albeit a loving husband. Perhaps she is going through some midlife crisis, perhaps trying to find an ‘adventure’ after going through this current life on a daily basis. it sort of grasp you when the novel starts with Sabrina trying to save someone at the common swimming pool she works as a lifeguard, only to realise the person didnt need saving, but realising perhaps she is the one who needed saving. Sabrina is also taking care of her father who is currently at a home recovering from stroke and memory loss.

So this is where the book inter changes, between Sabrina and Fergus Boggs. so it is interesting because we rarely see novels that tries to address the father-daughter relationship. and what will be at the heart of the story are boxes of marbles, which, to me, is quite new and interesting because i realise there is a thriving world of marbles made of glass, swirls and bloodies even olympics so to speak.

Fergus story will bring you back to the past of his childhood and the double life he lead before the stroke. it is quite heartrending because we are following this old man’s train of thoughts and memories because on a current life, he is struggling to remember. and Sabrina is struggling to relearn and connect to her father, whom she thought she knew all her life, but eventually, as she found out, leading another life which she was not a part of. and that knowledge kind of hurts, i bet, because i have the impression that Sabrina is close to her father.

i think the idea of the book is to get Sabrina finds herself through finding her father’s past, the double and new life he had after being divorced from her mother. but i guess i understood that the story is focused on her father, the main character.

i guess the book is good enough to keep me going and continue reading. i am a fan of cecelia ahern but lately her books doesnt give me that reading satisfaction. luckily the marble collector gives me a bit of that rush. it has humour and sometimes touched the heart because i feel for the character Sabrina Boggs and her need to reconnect with her father who is losing some memories. and i also feel for Fergus Boggs, his childhood memories, his ‘difficult’ life and pleasently surprised when i found out his relationship with Cat. But mostly, i am endeared by the close bond and relationship that Fergus have with his brothers, especially so with the late eldest brother, Hamish who throughout the story, is like a living ghost. rarely mentioned but there all the same because eventually it was Hamish who made Fergus who he is.

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freak feb

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how is it that it is already february?! where have my january gone to?? seriously i feel like january has gone too fast and i am already looking forward to some actual rest. for the record, i have not had a proper weekend in January. yes 4 weekends, and none with a complete rest day and off day. it is always either days taken off. and it is super tiring.

and nope i am not looking forward to the long cny weekend, because i dont have them. working weekends and then some boss thinks it is a good idea to take the two days cny public holidays away for some retreat. honestly,  i am not feeling it. i feel betrayed and robbed of my days with my husband. i am having neck pains and shoulder pains and i know its not just about posture. it’s this deep stressness and hatred i am having. and when i cannot even look at someone, it tells a lot of how much i despise and if i can help it, i dont even want to talk to him. this would be a first time i am really at odds with a superior. i never thought it would be this way but seriously now i understand what it is and what it meant to hate your boss.

continue to be this way and i can assure you that i will not be waiting for 2018 to leave.

anyway, i feel like i am already doing things as though i am leaving. i need to make sure my teachers know and continue doing the right things even when i am not around.

 

 

 

book review: good omens

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Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, WitchGood Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oh well. it was a fun read. one that didnt require me to think too much but rather just plainly enjoy the whole story. the one that amazes me most when reading a terry pratchett are the characters with made up names that is out of this world. reading good omens just make me feel how serious we have become and reading it brings me back to almost childlike innocent imagination, albeit addressing a very ‘adult’ issue of the end of the world.

i am glad it had a happy ending. 🙂

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