Collecting

I'm a huge fan of Jodi Picoult. The first book of hers I read was Vanishing Acts and I was blown away by her insightful observations on the human emotional make-up. Needless to say, I scoured all the bookstores in sleepy Ipoh looking for her books but came up with NONE. That was years ago before she gained mainstream popularity. Ever since the release of the movie My Sister's Keeper starring Cameron Diaz, her books have been filling the shelves of most major bookstores.

I love collecting stuff. I've now turned to books, trying feverishly to collect every single thing an author has ever wrote. Here's my list for Jodi Picoult.

Latest Additions (Thank you Big Bad Wolf)

1. Handle With Care
2. The Tenth Circle
3. My Sister's Keeper
4. Perfect Match
5. Plain Truth
6. Songs of the Humpback Whale
7. Keeping Faith
8. Mercy
9. Harvesting the Heart

Owned and Read :

1. Vanishing Acts

2. The Pact

3. Change of Heart

Titles Left to Get :

1. Nineteen Minutes

2. Second Glance

3. Salem Falls

4. Picture Perfect

Love Letters

Today's Smile-Inducer : A whole load of Jodi Picoult books !!!!!!!! Yes, I can now die happy (I know some of you are gonna flame me for speaking of death so often, but this is not morbidity, it is a mere expression, though I really don't see what's morbid in dying happy )

Picture taken from www.msnbc.com

I think this was so sweet. And such a pretty little girl too. Sometimes, I think children have the wisdom so many adults are foolish enough to ignore.

Blehness

Now, I hate people who make scenes in public. But I haven't had a good long cry in a while. I wish this tight fist around my heart would just uncurl. Indecision, angst, frustration, anger, discontent, hurt, worry all packaged in a flood of release. I'm not a puppet devoid of emotions. Neither am I a clown, bent on entertaining. (Irony : clowns are most often the saddest people) I laugh, I rant, I curse, I cry, I am flawed. I am human.

I wish I could phrase stuff more eloquently right now. Saves me the hassle of explanations. Whatever else, this is my blog. So sue me.

Bollllllerrrro !

So this is a long overdue post. Watched Bolero performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra on the 22nd November.

One of the highlights of the show for me was watching Dong-Hyek Lim perform live. He played Chopin's Piano Concerto in F Minor and was absolutely stunning. The fact that he was easy on the eyes didn't hurt either :P

And then there was the orchestra's rendition of Ravel's Bolero. Bolero was actually an experimentation of Ravel's on the different ways a single theme can be played and it turned out to be one of his most famous works. I think I fell in love with the snare drummer. Being the percussionist, he played the xylophone and some other miscellaneous instruments at the back. Boy would I giggle everytime he picked up the triangle, hold it up and pompously wait for his beat to 'Ting!' ... such grandeur for a tinkle .. There were two snare drummers actually, one of them a really pretty lady. And such technique and discipline! I stand amazed.

As evident in the pics, I made The Boy go along with me.

Umm.. this picture's for you mum. My favourite Chilli Pan Mee that I talk about every time you ask me what I had for lunch =p

Today's Smile-Inducer : I'll be going again for French Romantics next week. Wheeee ... I love the MPO Season. I can't believe this is going to be my last year in KL.

Pssssst

I did something really unthinkable and am now the proud mother of over 50 babies ... Lord help me ....

Right now, I feel like that girl in the picture .... lost in a world my own. Assignments, tests and lab reports can wait.. selected ignorance IS bliss.

Treasure Mine

Today's Smile-Inducer : 501 Must-Read Books!! We all need a guide in life. I've found my reading Bible ! I don't know how many of you realized this series sitting pompously on bookshelves everywhere, titles like 501 Must Watch Movies, 501 Must Drink Cocktails *hiccup!* or 501 Must Visit Cities... MPH has the hardcover edition of this delicious tome going for RM59.90.

Dear Santa,

I know I haven't exactly been an examplary kid this year. *Thinks guiltily of Mega Sales and visits to various Toy Stores....* If I promise to be really really good from now till you rein your reindeers in to scare the fur off Chaco ... would you could you will you?? *big puppy eyes*

P.S : Vow of good behaviour starts after confrontation with The Big Bad Wolf. A gal's gotta settle her battles first .... =p

Chocolate kisses, milk and cookies,

Jo

Thinking of you

Watching the X-Men Origins - Wolverine made me think of you. It was one of those moments when thoughts of you waft through my mind, catching me at times I least expect.

Watching your comic heroes battling on screen transported me back to that morning. Sleepy eyed and grumpy I awoke to find you already watching a movie in the room.

“What’s this?”

“X-Men ! … which coconut husk were you from anyway?”

“Well … I happen to have a really …. busy life !”

And that was how you started telling me about the action figures who graced the pages that coloured your childhood.

In your infinite patience for my dozens of interruptions for clarifications, I realized then .. here’s the elder brother I’ve always had.

“Oh my ! He self heals ??!! Coolio! “

“You didn’t know that? “ *chuckles*

If only all things could heal like that. I hope you’re doing fine up there with all your new friends. I know they’ll be special. Just like you and the heroes of your imagination.

Unfriendly? not necessarily so ....

Today's Smile-Inducer : Sleeping in! It's a luxury these days to get to sleep in. And thus this morning when the alarm rang at 9.30am, I smiled a contented cat's smile and snuggled deeper instead.....=)

I love the English language. There's just so many words to describe one feeling, one fear, one hope, one dream. There's just so much to play with! And playing with words has been a kind of passion and hobby for me. So imagine my joy when the New Oxford American Dictionary released it's dictionary word of the year. And get this... the word is *drumroll* U-N-F-R-I-E-N-D !

Oxford defines "unfriend," a verb, thusly: "To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook.

How delightful !

And so to test out this word... I hereby unfriend you..assignments ! Alright, so I know I'm not exactly keeping to the meaning of the word but indulge a stressed up kid ...besides, doesn't that have such a nice ring to it? =P

Being Gidon Kremer

The lights dimmed, casting an eerie glow of blue over one and all. Out of the shadows, a low voice boomed

"Just when you thought it was safe,

to go to the concert hall..*eerie chuckle*

in concert ... no one can hear you scream,

but whatever happens, don't fall asleep ...

or you will not survive...

From the producers of The Blairwitch Concert and

I Know What You Heard Last Summer ... "

and with that, 2 hours plus of bewitching entertainment ensued.

A lighthearted toy symphony kicked off the night, with a rubber duck and a warbly stuffed chicken taking up the lead. *what?? You think toys can’t hold a note ? Oh this chicken little could sure bring down the roof I tell ya*

The night then blurred past *way too fast for me* in a colourful swirl of music and laughter punctuated with rapturous applause. Performances to note were the variations on a Nokia theme, Riverdancing Violinists, and the Mafia-esque interrogation of Gidon Kremer. I especially loved the part where Gidon Kremer was tested to resist temptation. There was this particular part where the air just rang with tangible passion. Acts like “The Recording Sketch” on the other hand, were brilliant ways of conveying pressing messages.

The brunette violinists taps the blonde and gestures to her watch. She smiles back and they both get up, walking, playing and just at the exit of the stage, wave back at the audience and smile. At the other end of the stage, the crew starts packing up … oh, there goes the Amazonian cellist , the percussionist packs up, and other members of the orchestra leave, arm in arm and in good cheer.

Igudesman and Joo never failed to impress and tickle with their endless medley of brilliant humour. Gidon Kremer lent a professionally serious air to the show. At the heart of all the light-hearted banter, the undercurrents were strong. Everything progressed around the theme of the lack of appreciation towards classical music especially amongst the younger, more modern set. It was interesting to see the meld and blend of the conservative and the contemporary.

Today's Smile-Inducer : All in all, it was one of the best virgin experiences of watching a live performance ensconced in the grandeur of the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas.

Excited

Quick one : True love does exist ! This made me tear up..

On another note ... I'm finally going to watch Igudesman and Joo PLAY !!!!! It's tonight. I so can't wait. Promise to have some pictures up if my line allows

Till then ... see ya !

Incredulousness !!

Click here for what caught my attention today in The Star.

Clicking on the e-paper often brightens or clouds my day. There was once when I was lazy to read the paper and decided to milk the brother for any interesting on-dits. His reply : "Nothing informative today. Everything's lame and stupid". Being the neurotic person that I am, I thought this a blasphemy of the written word, but it is news like these that make me wonder what the authorities are thinking about these days. And reading what valuable "advice" and information these committee chairmans have to impart often leave me torn between weeping with laughter or chagrin.

I mean, go have premarital trials or something before tying the knot. Just stop wasting ink, paper and time on reports like these. Show the trees some love people !