Archive | Reading RSS feed for this section

Reading is Good

21 Aug

Zookeeper3I have forgotten how wonderful it is to read when my being glued to my games on the iPad consumes much of my free time. The author, Jennifer Probst, is enjoyable and creates vivid imagination with her style of story-telling! In two days, I have finished one book already and onto the second read.

Being stuck at Level 440 in Farm Heroes and Candy Crush turned out to be a blessing in disguise. For two days, I totally left my games, partly to enjoy the book I am reading and also to focus my energy on the book project that I am working on. When I went back to tackle Farm Heroes, taking a short break from reading, it was with renewed determination and I did it! Now, I face my nemesis, Rancid, at Level 441.

And the last two days, Candy Crush released its new chapter Fizzy Falls on Facebook. But this time, it required tickets for me progressed on from Glazed Grove to it; so I had to patiently wait for my fellow candy crushers to help me. And help they did. Thanks!

I guess reading has been good for I accomplished a lot. Even at work, the book project has progressed on smoothly. And… and… in Zookeeper Battle, I broke into the top ten thousand world ranking!!! Best ever position: 7938. A big yay to all these.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Back to Reading

19 Aug

The wait is unbearable for Candy Crush to open its new chapter on Facebook and Level 440 in Farm Heroes has been one tough nut to crack. On top of this patient-testing situation, I started a new book design project at the office and this has been consuming a lot of my thought process and time. So much has to be considered for the overall aesthetics of this 120-page book to look spectacular.

I need a distraction to destress but the situation of my games is not helping. Even with Zookeeper Battle, I can’t seem to focus despite peaking at 11,700 in world ranking.

So I decided to go back to reading. And for the first time, Nora Roberts is not keeping me company but another author, whom I discovered at the bookstore over the weekend. Jennifer Probst.

It’s been a good distraction so far.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Everything Has a Name

13 May

M2 loves her study corner so much, she has decided to give names to the things that make up the area! (Remember Pancake the pet plant?) One evening, she told me, “Mummy, you know my Pixar light? I call it Peter!”

“Really?” I was amused.

When hubby bought her an external hard drive to store her data off the computer, she gave it a name too.

“This is Phil.” She introduced the hard drive to me one evening.

“Waa… You’ve got Peter and Phil. What next?” I asked. Which I shouldn’t have because the next thing I knew, I was introduced to her table.

Image

“Mummy, my table is called Bobby.”

I rolled my eyes; everything has a name. I dare not ask what will be next.

Tags: ,

Oh! Pixar Lights!

12 May

The study areas were created and both girls were extremely happy with the result. To top off the space, we needed to get lights for them. So I promised them after work, we will run off to IKEA to buy the lights. I was even reminded every hour via iMessage after they came home from school. Such was their excitement especially M2.

So at the lighting department in IKEA, hubby and I were debating between aesthetics and practicality. He decided it shouldn’t be halogen-based to minimize heat issues when used over a prolonged period. I pushed for those swing arm worklights that uses energy saving bulbs because I used to have them when I was in college and secondly, I thought they were the most practical. Braced to a furniture, it looks sturdy and won’t topple over even if handled too roughly but hubby thought they weren’t pretty. But in the end, my insistence for practicality won over the pretty table lamp choice that he had in mind.

When we came home, both girls waited excitedly by the door because we called ahead to announce our return with lights for them. The front door opened and dramatically, the lights were shoved forward to present to them.

“Oh! We got Pixar lights! Yay!!!” one of them exclaimed. Wow. I never even made that association and in my mind I knew it was the right choice. Without giving us a chance to have dinner, the lights were quickly assembled and put in place with our help of course. The two study areas are now complete with Pixar lights.

Tags: , , ,

There’s Nothing to Play!

6 Feb

Ever since my retirement from Candy Crush, I find that there’s nothing to play on the iPad! If not for my Zookeeper Battle, the offerings just do not appeal to me.

Even the latest from King.com, Farm Heroes Saga, which I thought could get me hooked does not have the same appeal as Candy Crush. I suspect this is due to the fact that I was stuck at Level 80 for the longest frustrating time. It was just impossible to overcome the challenge at that level. Well, when one becomes discouraged and frustrated, the charm is lost, no matter how cute the characters are.

So I looked and tried to find something that can occupy my time, otherwise my faithful iPad Mini will be rendered useless! Maybe I should go back to reading my Nora Roberts…

Tags: , , , , ,

Not Etched in Stone

13 Jan

Two things I discovered with the new year. Discovery number one: life can go on without Candy Crush. It’s been close to two weeks that I have not played the game at all, can you believe it? And I have been going about life and routine without any hiccups. The candy withdrawal has subsided and I have coped well, especially with the discovery of Nora Roberts online to occupy my time. Proud to say I am maintaining my retired professional candy crusher status.

Discovery number two: life can go on without caffeine. Last week, I did a five day detox and diet program that had me off my coffee and tea, food and sugar. It was all fruits and water for the first two days, followed by fruits, water and some protein and fiber for the next two days and by the last day, a slow introduction of a little bit of carbs, more fruits, water and ending with more protein and fiber. All this while, no coffee or tea, no sugar and no carbs. The cleansing of the innards felt good, the tummy shrank, the need for food was manageable and the dependency on caffeine was overcomed! Proud to say I shed 3kgs.

So things that I thought are etched in stone all this while may not necessarily be so.

Tags: , , , ,

How to Read Harry Potter

10 Jan

As I have been reading my Nora Roberts’ MacGregor series non-stop these few nights, I can’t help but recall the time back in 2011 when the girls started reading J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. I held them off the series but eventually gave in and bought the whole series for them. The treasured books has been read and reread many times over.

Last year, M2 told me she reads the series in two different ways.

How does one read a book in two different ways? Surely, when reading, you read the contents, flip the pages and repeat this process until the end, no? Unless you consider lying down with legs pointing skywards being the other way?

Well, I learnt then there IS another method to read a series of books. First, you read the conversations in the book; just the conversations. In M2’s case, it was all seven of the Harry Porter books in this manner. Then you read the book as a whole—complete in the way they are written—again, all seven in the series. What an interesting method. M2’s mind boggles me sometimes.

I don’t think I will do that as much as I enjoy Nora. My other way of reading is simply just reading the online version instead of the physical paperback, having discovered this alternative recently. So in my case, it’s holding my iPad Mini to enjoy a good read instead of holding the paperback. And no, my legs are not pointing skywards.

Tags: , , , ,

Candy Withdrawal

6 Jan

Even since I completed Candy Crush at the end of last year and officially retired from it on January 1st, I feel as though I am experiencing some withdrawal symptoms. For five consecutive days, I have not played the game in Facebook on the laptop; although I still go in to help my fellow candy crushers by sending them lives and tickets, this does not count as playing. Even on the iPad, Dreamworld has lost its appeal. So what I am doing to occupy my time? I have been reading as there’s nothing else to play (besides Zookeeper Battle) before I go to sleep!

The last few nights, I decided to give my favorite author, Nora Roberts, my devotion again and have been reading the MacGregor series online into the wee hours of the night. Now I don’t know if this is good or not because in the mornings, I wake up with a splitting headache from a lack of deep sleep.

As a result, I feel grumpy. And irritated. And tired. Can’t be Nora’s fault since her books are always so captivating. Definitely withdrawal symptoms from lack of candies. Hrmph.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

On a Buying Spree

29 Oct

I daresay both M1 and M2 inherited the reading bug from me. Certainly it must be me because hubby is not an avid reader like me, who’d read until 3.00am in the morning. Whenever hubby has a book in front of him—and I have seen it on several occasions—he does not make it pass two pages and muted snores can be heard shortly; except maybe for one book, ‘Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds’ by Ping Fu, he read it in one day while I took three days. The point is, no matter how tired I am, I never doze off with a book in hand and neither do my girls. So, yea… they inherited the reading bug from me.

During my dinosaur era, I was reading Trixie Belden, the Famous Five, Five Find-Outers and Nancy Drew. But sadly, my girls are not into these characters and my collection is left to collect more dust.

Children these days, I discovered, are more into authors besides the series. M1 totally enjoys the Percy Jackson series (by Rick Riordan) and insist that the books must be the US edition because they have nicer cover designs than the UK edition. She awaits the latest release, US edition of course.

M2, on the other hand, enjoys quirky titles with lots of doodles everywhere, big fonts and peppered with typographic creativity.

On Sunday, we finally visited the bookstore, Kinokuniya, in KLCC. It was an all-girls outing as hubby chose to go to the CIMB Classic golf tournament at KLGCC instead. So there we were at the bookstore, touching this book and that book. We were in heaven!

However, M1 was disappointed to see the latest release of Rick Riordan’s was not of the cover she anticipated! Brought down to earth, she said we must still go in search for the new book with its US edition cover. But until that happens, I felt her disappointment and decided to allow her to pick up some other titles instead. Since school exams are also over, I’d rather have both girls reading more than to be online all the time.

I must have been deprived of shopping lately (buying grocery does not count) for I decided it was a book-buying day and we all ended up with 2 or more books each.

M1 picked up a novel, a doodle journal and a Pokemon encyclopedia; M2 had the same doodle journal too and an Adventure Time encyclopedia while I picked up ‘Are You a Cow?’ another Sandra Boynton board book to add to my collection, a Nora Roberts two-in-one read and a more serious title: ‘Lean in’ by Sheryl Sandberg.

We capped the outing with a scrumptious lunch before hurrying home to enjoy the books! It was one of those rare good shopping days and good quality time spent with the girls.

Image

The prized purchases. M2 has totally wrecked her journal, see the ripped page sticking out?

Related articles

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Reading Again!

9 Sep

Somewhat disillusioned with the recent discovery on Level 410 in Candy Crush and coupled with the frustration, I decided to pick up a book again to read. Of course it is a book by my favorite author.

The last book that I attempted to read, Pompeii by Robert Harris, just could not hold my attention. I didn’t go beyond ‘Hora duodecima’…

Maybe there’s still a chance for me to catch up in the reading race with this renewed reading mood.

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →