Happy 10th anniversary dear

Daddy...

It's been 10years...a quite long one if we recall the day-to-day stuff but it is also a short one. Never thought that in a blink of eyes(ok...maybe several thousands of blink)...time has passed.

I know it's not a fairy tale...so I've never been into happily-ever-after (it is good to watch though...with a goeying eyes). And since I don't have any chrystal ball in my possession nor both of us have any experience in fortune telling...I guess there will be lots of ups and downs in the next 10years ahead. I hope we are blessed with an overflowing happiness (crossing my fingers) despite the bumps. I don't know what will happen (otherwise I would have probably been asking for a refund LOL) and I don't wanna give out a guarantee, but one I am sure...that we will go through it day-by-day (in between of the girls' laughing and my yelling "̮˚°◦♡ώκωķ(∩_∩)◦°˚"̮  )until the next decade. Just bear with me...my selfishness...my books shopping spree 【ツ】ƗƗє²² ƗƗє²² ƗƗє²²【ツ】 ...my unpredictable mood...and my home cooking too LOL

I don't know what will hold and what will give away...but at least I promise you....that I'll be there...as long as уσυ are there too

Luv u
xoxo

Crossed (2nd book in Matched trilogy) by Allie Condie

I guess this will be my last post in this week and the week after...tomorrow is my girls' last day of school and afterward, we are having a holiday YAY   (>.<)   So I wont be writing for sometimes...but please kindly frequent my blog since more posts are coming after the holiday.

Synopsis

On the edge of society, nothing is as expected.

Cassia flees to the Outer Provinces in search of Ky, only to discover he has escaped into the canyons. But even as she risks everything to reunite with Ky, a few surprises from her former life may haunt her...or change the game once again. The path to freedom is more twisted than ever. Is Ŀ♡√Ɛ enough in order to survive?

I say...

The long-awaited-book...this one was quite difficult to find @Jkt bookstore, even though I searched it on several big imported store. So when I saw this one (along with the newly released 3rd book)...I was practically jumping with joy...уααу!└(^o^)┘ \^o^/ └(^o^)┘уααу! ...finally I got books to read during the year-end holiday (well, I guess I will eat this up pretty fast - meaning in a day or two)

So...half of the book tells the story of Ky, escaping the Society and Cassia, trying to reach Ky - anywhere he could be. Again, the story flows smoothly, from Ky to Cassia...then back to Ky again...to and fro with flawless elegency. Up...until Ky is reunited again with Cassia, then I got this confusion on who is talking to whom ‎​=.=! pheω...‎​⊙﹏⊙

The way Condie describes things are as powerful as before and before you realize, you are drawn into it already...into the strong feeling of affection...into the strong desire of freedom...into the deep belief of Cassia and Ky toward each other...into the beauty of the colors, the river, the canyons, and the poems as well. This book tells a story of Ky and Cassia, joining the Rising, a rebellion against the Society.

Quoting a sentence from the book, loving let's you look, however the more you look into it...the more you will find out that he/she is different from what you've visualized. Ky and Cassia, after reunited, realized that each holds something...which conciously or not...being kept from the other. Some secrets are unravelled but more are still wait to be unfolded on the last book - Reached (I'm reading it right now). Because in the end you can't always choose what to keep. You can only choose how you let it go.

Life of Pi - the movie

'Tell me about your story that make you believe in the God'. Roughly the movie is opened by a flashback, the grown-up Pi telling his story to a writer. From the title, it must be a biography movie...a religious(?) drama, not my fav but since my hubby kept nagging me...telling me that it was a great movie and all, and I guessed (since he accompanied me watching Twilight), so I returned the favor. We watched it last weekend, missed the first 5-10? minutes since we were late...the traffic was bad.

It is a story about Piscine (sorry if I wrong-spelled it), an Indian boy which was named after the famous public swimming pool in France (where his parent met). Too bad, due to the pronounciation, he was often bullied by his classmate. Therefore, he deftly called himself, Pi. With modern-thinking father who opened the zoo and open-minded mother, Pi lived quite a comfortable live. He was smart and curious boy, he asked lots of thing...which made him believed in 3 different kinds of religion. He said, religion is like a room in a house. A single house (human) can have more than one room and probably with doubt at every corner. He saw things differently, just like his fierce close encounter with Richard Parker, a miss-named Bengali tiger (one member of the zoo). Despite Pi' belief, his father tought him (in an extreme way) that animal is an animal, without any streak for human emotion. Then, due to circumstances at that time, his father decided to leave India and migrate to Canada. They brought all the animal by Japanese Cargo ship and near Philiphine, the ship sank due to storm.

Then the movie gets more interesting from here on. Pi, the single survival was sharing a life boat with broken-leg-zebra, simpanze, a heyna, and Richard Parker (I will shorten it to RP). Due to hunger, all animal was eaten at the end by RP. Pi, striving for his own survival, found RP as the only living being that kept him sane. Feeding RP became his life purpose...he even became seafood eater (he used to be a vegan). Until after 200something days, he was ashored at some beach in Mexico. There, between life and death, RP left Pi behind without a single glance.

In term of the movie itself, it was beautiful with a nice blend of India culture. While for the special effect, like the one with sea of jelly fish, or flying fish scene, the storm and terrifying lighting, as well as the floating carnivore island that was found by Pi are awesome too. However, since it is perfectly beautiful...I could see clearly the animation of it. Pi tought us about strength for hope...for survival....and when the time is right...the strength to let go (give up). It's also about fear and be friend with it. It's about separation and get over it. It's about the journey to find your faith.

It's Pi's story...how bout your story?

Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

Synopsis

There's Becky, a plump, sexy chef, with an overworked husband, an adorable baby girl...and the mother-in-law from hell. There's Kelly, a twenty-four-seven event planner who is charting her baby's every move on a spreadsheet, while hoping that her husband will pull his finger out, and finally find a job. And then there's the beautiful Ayinde, who is happily married to Philadelphia's most prominent basketball star, until the combination of a new baby and infidelity threathens their marriage. By turns moving, funny, and inspiring, Little Earthquakes is a great big delicious read from a prodigiously talented author.

I say...

Actually there is a 4th wive, which this story is started and ended by Lia, a run-away-girl who developed her career on TV show. She lost her baby boy and she was trying to make up and compromise for the guiltiness feeling...leaving her husband and making up with her mother.

At first, I didn't expect this book to be this good...well...I bought it on a sale rack...with an author that I've never heard nor read before...so with a bit of sceptical feeling (plus a boring day)...I spent my time reading it. And I luv it...it was witty (like those chicklit but this book was way better than the ordinary chicklit) and hilarious. I've never read anything like this...a day-to-day life with twisting horror (not in a spooky way) and fun...totally luv it

It tells about the journey of 3wives into motherhood. They meet accidentally at yoga classes and due to the given circumstances, become best buddy. Each with their own problem (may it be the breast-feeding stuff or in-law terror)...you might thought it was your story...because it was so downright true and yet heart warming. I recommend this for who ever is expecting their first baby...not to scare you but at least, you would be prepared for the worst. Just a little perfect book to bring inside your baby-delivering-bag *grinning*

Warning: reading this might remind you of uncomfortable days of your pregnancy...the pain of your delivery (not mine though - I was CS-ed)...and the nightmares which come along the cute and sweet baby.

Chubby Flower Hair Accessories

It's been weeks since the last time I opened my craft boxes. These few weeks have been the busiest days for me...not that I was working...but I was busy typing the practice papers for my girls. They are having their exams now and by 2nd week of Dec, it is holiday уααу!└(^o^)┘ \^o^/ └(^o^)┘уααу!

The cute chubby hair accessories

So when I finally had time, I started collecting my scrap fabric. I got some batik fabric (from the too-long-belt of my batik dress). So look what I made out of it...fancy hairclips with Indonesian traditional patterned cloth. If you are interested to make one for you, please kindly check my previous post. I'm pretty sure I wrote some tutorial re to it :-)

I got an idea from this hairclip (I bought this one)

My batik hair accessories

But the best ones are these chubby flower hair accessories (and it comes with a matching set уααу!└(^o^)┘ \^o^/ └(^o^)┘уααу! ). It involved lots of stitching but I bet...it worth the effort *grinning* I found an old clothes of my girl with pretty pattern on it and I cut it into 5 circles (around 7cm in diameter). I stitched the edge of the circle (one by one) and I pulled the thread so the circle was a bit in bowl-like-shape. I inserted some polyester fibre and pulled it firmly. If you don't have polyester fibre, you can cut your scrap fabric smaller to replace it or use bean bag/foam balls. Then I fastened the opening by stitching it altogether. Afterward, the fabric would look like a soft ball (with a bouncy feel on it)

After I made 5balls, then I stitched all the balls together (from side to side) for form flower petals. Next I glued/stitched the applicant right in the middle of the petals. Here I used (again) old button but you can put anything (beads or fake pearl). Then I attached (by gluing) the hair rubber or lined hairclip onto the back. Pretty cute isn't it? My girls adore it...they asked me for another already...they said...the chubbier - the cuter *grinning ear to ear*

some snapshots on my batik hair accessories

Colour your life :-)

Have you tried Rainbow cake? If you haven’t, I bet you still know what I mean…layered sponge cake with rainbow colours on it. Some even has chocolate chips sprinkled on it…definitely a feast to our eyes. It looks so pretty…bright with eye-catching-colours…sitting on a nicely decorated display…seems to persuade us to look closer and have a bite…ehm…in my case, a slice or two J

Red Velvet and Rainbow cake @Michel's

Ombre cake

Initially, it made me wondered whether it is delicious and healthy (considering the unusual colours used). Since up to the last 2 years, we were so used to seeing monochromic cakes, like in chocolate or vanilla colours (mostly). Sometimes we had fruity cake in orange colour or bday cake in pink, but it wasn’t as colourful and in shocking colours and as famous as cakes sold now almost in every bakery/café/pastry shop. Each bakery/café seems to try to come up with the best version of Rainbow cake or whatever other famous cake, like Macaroon, Green Tea cake, Red Velvet, Blue Velvet, Ombre cake, and many more. All are in shockingly unusual colours, deep red, bright blue, shocking pink, you name it   J

Green Tea cake

Some are using food grade colour, while others choose natural colour extracted from fruit/veg. For me, I prefer the ones using natural colour even though the cake will have slightly odd taste or smell (like Red Velvet made fully from beetroot instead of using the burgundy-red food grade colour). But again…everyone have different taste   J

My fav - Red Velvet @Starbuck

While I was enjoying my cake, I was wondering why cakes with bright colours are so famous lately. It is kinda of a fashion…incomplete if miss these colourful cakes while you are hanging out. I guessed it has a relation with the paradigm shift going on in our society, which people nowadays are more expressive, in their personal outlook and action. It seems they are trying to be existed in their circle or perhaps it feels great to be different…to be daring. Perhaps unconsciously, we get bored with the normal monochromic cakes and therefore, we welcome these colourful cakes. Perhaps, it is a perfect time to spice up our life…get out from our comfort zone and  just like a tagline on one commercial-ads…live is never flat. So…lets enjoy it   *licking the cream off my finger*

Red Velvet and Green Tea cake @Klassen