Mailbox Monday (10-05-09 edition)

Mailbox Monday is brought to us by The Printed Page. In my mailbox last week I got:

Winnings...

Fragment by Warren Fahy
Won from Carol's Notebook

In this powerhouse of suspense—as brilliantly imagined as Jurassic Park and The Ruins—scientists have made a startling discovery: a fragment of a lost continent, an island with an ecosystem unlike any they’ve seen before . . . an ecosystem that could topple ours like a house of cards.

The time is now. The place is the Trident, a long-range research vessel hired by the reality TV show Sealife. Aboard is a cast of ambitious young scientists. With a director dying for drama, tiny Henders Island might be just what the show needs. Until the first scientist sets foot on Henders—and the ultimate test of survival begins . . .

For when they reach the island’s shores, scientists are utterly unprepared for what they find—creatures unlike any ever recorded in natural history. This is not a lost world frozen in time, an island of mutants, or a lab where science has gone mad: this is the Earth as it might have looked after evolving on a separate path for half a billion years.

Soon the scientists will stumble on something more shocking than anything humanity has ever encountered: because among the terrors of Henders Island, one life form defies any scientific theory—and must be saved at any cost.

I've actually won this book twice now, but only received it once. I never received the copy that I won through the Library Thing Members Giveaway.


I also won a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble from Martha's Bookshelf! How great is that? All of us bibliophiles love book gift cards, don't we?

Thanks so much to both Carol and Martha! That was a very nice week-- getting a book I've wanted for months, and a gift card to buy more books that I've been wanting!

GIVEAWAY: Testimony or Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home

Today we have two books up for grabs. You have your choice of the following:

Testimony by Anita Shreve
At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices—those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal—that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment. Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellinglyexplores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.


Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home

When Thelma Meyer tells it to you, she tells it straight: Clean the kitchen daily! Don't waste anything (not even the water leftover from those potatoes you just boiled)! Always work hard! This philosophy meant that when Thelma's daughter Monica founded Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products (named after her mom), the products were designed to work hard for you.

Now for the first time, Thelma's sage advice is being made available in this revolutionary cleaning guide chock full of practical tips and secrets based on the premise that life is hectic and messy — and so keeping your house clean and nice is the only sensible thing to do. With shortcuts and tips for cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room, MRS MEYER'S CLEAN HOME contains unexpected advice such as:
—Never use vinegar and water on wood floors. One part dish soap and four parts water is the only way to truly get them clean. And remember to buff with a terrycloth towel.

—Always clean out the fridge before grocery shopping. Serve the kids "Musko" ("must go") for dinner, using the items that were fast approaching expiration.
—Wash windows on a cloudy day to avoid the nasty streaking that happens when the sun's out and glass dry too fast.

MRS MEYER'S CLEAN HOME is two parts common sense and one part inspiration. Read it and learn how to clean like the dickens.

GIVEAWAY: Win either Testimony by Anita Shreve or Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home by Thelma Meyer

Rules (you knew there had to be some):

• You must be 18 years or older
  
• Open to US and Canada residents only
  
• To enter, just comment below. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment, or have it visible in your profile.
• Let me know if you have a preference for one book or the other.
  
• For extra entries, follow my blog and/or blog about this contest. One extra entry for each. Sidebars are okay.
  
• Leave a separate comment for each entry.
  
• That's a total of 3 possible entries!
  
• Those who don't follow the rules risk being disqualified.

Deadline is October 18, 2009.

Good Luck! Ready, Set, Go!

Poetry Sunday (10-04-09 edition)

One of my most memorable teachers in my 12 years of school was Mrs. Linn. It was 5th grade, and Mrs. Linn was full of exuberance and enthusiasm and adventure! She made school fun in many ways. She also introduced all of us to poetry. On Monday we would be given a new poem to learn. We would have the week to memorize it, and on Friday we would each take our turn at standing at the front of the class and reciting the new poem. I excelled at this. I learned during this process that I had a memory that allowed me to memorize a poem quite quickly. By the end of the school year it was only taking me about 15 minutes to memorize a long poem that covered two pages in my poetry notebook.

This poem is the first poem I ever learned and recited. I'm a few weeks late with it though, since it is now fall...

September
Written by Edwina Fallis

A road like brown ribbon,
A sky that is blue,
A forest of green
With the sky peeping through.
Asters, deep purple,
A grasshopper's call,
Today it is summer,
Tomorrow is fall.

Book Giveaways in Blogworld (10-03-09 edition)

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:

A Sea of Books is giving away 2 copies of How To Rule the World from Your Couch. Deadline is October 3.

Sweeps4Bloggers is giving away 5 copies of Evenings at the Argentine Club. Deadline is October 3.

Drey's Library is giving hosting a Maximum Ride promotion. Deadline is October 4.

Falling Off the Shelf is giving away a pack of James Patterson books! Deadline is October 5.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 5 copies of Simon's Cat. Deadline is October 5.

At Home with Books is giving away 2 copies of How To Rule the World From Your Couch. Deadline is October 5.

Bloody Bad is giving away a copy of Benny and Shrimp. Deadline is October 5.

Drey's Library is giving away 5 copies of Simon's Cat. Deadline is October 6.

Trying to Stay Calm is giving away bookmarks to 4 winners! Deadline is October 6.

Shauna of Book Giveaways is also giving away bookmarks on her book giveaway site. Deadline is October 6.

Yankee Romance Review is giving away 5 copies of The Highlander's Tempatation. Deadline is October 7.

Miscellaneous Matters is giving away a copy of A Black Man's Journey Through the Annals of Time. Deadline is October 7.

Readaholic is giving away 3 copies of The Drunkard's Path. Deadline is October 7.

Readaholic is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Deadline is October 9.

Alison's Bookmarks is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Deadline is October 9.

All About {n} is giving away a box of books for her 200 follower contest! Deadline is October 9.

Jeanne's Ramblings is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Deadline is October 10.

Books and Needlepoint is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Tell 'em nfmgirl sent you! Deadline is October 11.

Drey's Library is giving away 5 copies of Evenings at the Argentine Club. Deadline is October 12.

Simply Stacie is giving away a copy of Circle of Souls. Deadline is October 15.

Chick with Books is giving away 3 copies of Beat the Reaper. Deadline is October 17.

The Lateiner Gange Book Review Spot is giving away your choice of an ARC or a hard copy of Catching Fire. Deadline is October 17.

Luxury Reading is giving away 5 copies of Run for Your Life. Deadline is October 20.

The Book Resort is giving away The Lost Symbol. Deadline is October 23.

Libby's Library News is giving away 5 copies of A Highlander's Temptation. Deadline is October 23.

At Home with Books is cleaning off the shelves, and offering up Her Fearful Symmetry, The White Queen, Julie & Julia and Alex & Me. Deadline is October 29.

*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration!

CHALLENGE: The Stephen King/Richard Bachman Challenge

The Stephen King/Richard Bachman Challenge
Perpetual Challenge

Meaghan at Book Geek 2.0 is hosting this challenge. A new lover of Stephen King, she is trying to read every book of his and has challenged everyone else to do the same. I've been a fan of King since I was 12 and read The Stand, so it wasn't hard to convince me to hop on the challenge wagon!

This is a perpetual challenge, with no deadlines and few restrictions. Simply read EVERY SINGLE book by Stephen King/Richard Bachman. It's okay if you skip the hard-to-find limited editions.

• You aren't required to re-read books you've already read
• You are welcome to watch his movies AS WELL, not in place of, his books
• You are also welcome to review all of his books, if you wish

A complete list of his books may be found here. Here is my list as it stands. Bold and italicized titles I am considering completed.

• 1960 - People, Places, And Things - Volume 1 (limited edition with Chris Chelsey) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
• 1964 - The Star Invaders (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
• 1974 - Carrie
• 1975 - Salem's Lot
• 1977 - The Shining
• 1978 - Night Shift (DONE)
• 1978 - The Stand (DONE many times now)
• 1979 - The Dead Zone (DONE)
• 1980 - Firestarter (DONE)
• 1981 - Cujo (DONE)
• 1981 - Danse Macabre (nonfiction about horror)
• 1981 - Roadwork
• 1982 - Creepshow (comic book, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson)
• 1982 - The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
• 1982 - Different Seasons (DONE)
• 1983 - Christine (DONE)
• 1983 - Pet Sematary (DONE)
• 1983 - Cycle of the Werewolf
• 1984 - The Talisman (written with Peter Straub)
• 1985 - Skeleton Crew (DONE a long time ago, and may want to reread!)
• 1985 - The Bachman Books (DONE)
• 1986 - It (DONE)
• 1987 - The Eyes of the Dragon
• 1987 - Misery (DONE)
• 1987 - The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
• 1988 - The Tommyknockers (DONE)
• 1988 - Nightmares in the Sky (Photo book with text by King)
• 1988 - Dark Visions
• 1989 - The Dark Half (DONE)
• 1989 - Dolan's Cadillac (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
• 1989 - My Pretty Pony (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
• 1990 - The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition (DONE- I've read both versions multiple times)
• 1990 - Four Past Midnight (DONE)
• 1991 - Needful Things (DONE)
• 1991 - The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
• 1992 - Gerald's Game (partially read)
• 1993 - Dolores Claiborne
• 1993 - Nightmares & Dreamscapes (stories)
• 1994 - Insomnia
• 1995 - Rose Madder
• 1995 - Umney's Last Case
• 1996 - The Green Mile (originally published as a monthly serial consisting of six parts: The Two Dead Girls, The Mouse on the Mile, Coffey's Hands, The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, Night Journey, and Coffey on the Mile)
• 1996 - Desperation (DONE)
• 1997 - Six Stories (stories)
• 1997 - The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
• 1998 - Bag of Bones
• 1999 - Storm of the Century
• 1999 - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
• 1999 - The New Lieutenant's Rap (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
• 1999 - Hearts in Atlantis
• 1999 - Blood and Smoke (audio book)
• 2000 - Riding the Bullet (electronically published novella)
• 2000 - The Plant (electronically published)
• 2000 - Secret Windows
• 2000 - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (nonfiction autobiography)
• 2000 - Dreamcatcher
• 2001 - Black House (written with Peter Straub)
• 2002 - From a Buick 8
• 2002 - Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales
• 2003 - The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (revised edition)
• 2003 - The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
• 2004 - The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
• 2004 - The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
• 2004 - Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season
• 2005 - The Colorado Kid
• 2006 - Cell (DONE)
• 2006 - Lisey's Story
• 2008 - Duma Key
• 2008 - Just After Sunset
• UR (e-novella available only on Amazon.com's Kindle) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
• 2009 - Under the Dome (DONE)
• 2010 - Full Dark, No Stars
  

Richard Bachman's Published Books
"Richard Bachman" is a pseudonym that King used until Bachman's true identity was discovered by fans, after which he only published one more Bachman novel.

• 1977 - Rage (DONE)
• 1979 - The Long Walk (DONE)
• 1981 - Road Work
• 1982 - The Running Man (DONE)
• 1984 - Thinner (DONE)
• 1996 - The Regulators (DONE)
• 2007 - Blaze

This may be a lifetime commitment! He is a very prolific author! Let the challenge begin!

Story Continues!

This is ma only 2nd post in this blog and i am gonna continue the story that i previously wrote about someone who has me in love tie ne...*blush* Well i think i paused at the part we first started to bollywood ne...

Yea well we 1st started to bollywood within ourselves only in skype and msn ne...(i know its weird but who cares!) Then slowly we moved on to the forum and then facebook! (kesian facebook oso become mangsa~ XD) We continued to spent times talking over skype while she was doing her assignments and so on...Practically i was helping her keep awake while rushing her assignments...At that time we knew we were playing a very risky game by calling each other intimate names and also spending time with each other much ne...

I am not really sure of the date when we 1st had that convo but it was sumwhere around a few days later that we practically had this talk when both oso admitted that we were playing high risk game and we would not put the fact that either 1 of us would eventually end up liking one another ne....After that talk we practically went on with the normal us and so on...Until the day came when lexy told me she might be coming to KL and so on...Sumhow 1 part of me was so happy while the other was kinda nervous, scared, kan cheong, etc... I really dunno how to explain how i felt at that time ne...

And she took ma hp number and gave me a miss call a few days before that....I was the proud 1st guy she ever asked for the number she told me!! *blush* She send me a few sms but sadly i couldn't reply her as that time i was like super duper ruper broke and i was outa credit...T.T *smack head* And a day before she was going to come, we talked on skype when she told me that she got someone to pick her up that night and i was like, O.O!!! "How come i dunno anything??" So i asked her who it was and she told me WHO IT WAS and i was furious!!

The main thing that kinda pissed me off was that she told us she didnt wanna see many people so wanted to keep it low so we were keeping it low and so on...suddenly someone who is practically outa from our normal group and also someone who we don't like was to pick her up! And i was like the last person to know about it! I was already stressed with ma ex (that time was ma fiancee) as we just only had a fight and to hear this, it didn't help at all...So i went off ranting this and that to her leaving her kinda stressed out....After a short while i went aorund complaining to ma another gorgor, BBS aka Spidey aka Pretty Boy aka Lampost aka Casey, (O.O!!! thats alot of aka's right...=.=") His reaction was kinda simple he asked me instead, "what's with you and lexy? You guys like each other is it? "

That practically even got me pissed as i was trying hard not get out of control and try to explain to him in a nice way but he didn't seem to get my point so i just gave up...I tried to calm lexy up for the small bust up and didn't wanna make much fuss about it as she has her right to choose who she wanna ask help and everything...But the thing that really pissed me off again was that she told me she can't tell me anything cz i wasn't online...*smack head* She had ma number.....Anyways past was past so no point making a huge fuss again about it....Then me and papa went over to pick our princess keiko and somehow kinda got lost on the way there as i was kinda blind since ma glasses broke and practically i was having a super blur vision and was guiding purely on instincts....

We went almost 2 rounds and finally got there...picked her up and went to ss2 for indo mee!!!(craving for it) and clinston went off sumwhere (forgot where) and me and keiko were both blind and are like super kan cheong as we were looking around and around to see which side they were coming from... Both oso super kan cheong to meet her and there they came 2-3 mins later...They walked to the table and lexy sat beside me...I was expecting myself to be super shy and nervous that i wouldn't even say a word instead i felt opposite as if i knew her for so damn long as i so damn confortable. I was stunned for awhile ne.... But after awile oni i realized about the guy who drove her there, he was DRUNK!!! WTF!! Any normal person wouldn't go and drink too much when they know they got to pick someone up right? Or if wanna drink can just say sorry can't pick you up find someone else right? NO!!!

Looking at that, i already hate that guy and was pissed off at him that he had to go and pick her up maa....then this juz added more oil into it oni...I was very very unhappy but kept things to myself as we sat there eating then went off to bebee's place to meet prawn head princess, Vivi who came over to KL...since it was already around 5 sumthing and 9 o'clock was her gathering and so we went there to see her and i took that chance to talk to clinston on the way as i was complaining non-stop...(i can be even worst than M16 when i am upset ne) Then we went over there and talked when i took some chance to talk to lexy but then sadly vivi brought out CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!! *drools* So practically since i am a sucker for chocolate ice cream i glided the whole hall to get to her and bebee to buaya some of it!

It was so YUMMIE!!!!! *blush*( ma taste buds are going crazy ady!!) But they decided to close it at half save it for the next day or something so i went back to lexy but she was fast asleep...(she looked so cute when she sleeps) I didn't wanna disturb her instead i kinda got sleepy and rested ma head near her....Around 6 something she and keiko went back as that guy send them back...Me and clinston stayed back in bebee's place as clins was tired and he fell asleep so i stayed over looking for thing to do so started to spam....We guys went to the Vivi gathering near pudu area there and things were kinda still okie with us and we practically still friends untill it was almost time for Vivi to leave as i realised we grew closer even without me realising it....(i dunno if lexy did or not)

Then we were heading back to the carpark where papa parked his car and from there we were to head to papa's place to rest and think of following plan....During the time in the car there was this moment which i don't really remember how it happened or what as we guys were holding hands in the car!!! I was sitting next to papa while lexy was behind me and keiko behind papa....

Aiyak!! *smack head* My tendency of forgetting the world when i am story telling has made this post kinda long too ne....So i think i better stop before i make this another long boring post again yea..Promise to get the sambungan of the story soon yea! For now thanks for reading and continue your support yea!!

Bye Bye for now!!

1st Post!

This is my 1st ever post in a real blog i've ever created for myself. Honestly i wanted to have a blog for ma ownself but then i always have no idea how to do it and dunno wat to write about so now i decided to write about stuffs thats been going in ma life past, present and future(wat am planning) in here....

for ma 1st post am gonna talk about someone who practically gave me a new vision of ma life...am going abit to the past yea....i think if i am not mistaken sumwhere towards the end of october while i was spamming in kbox(ma fav forum) when i noticed there was some new member in....buthen for me new member or not doesnt really make much dif juz more ppl to crap around and have fun thats all so i didnt really bother much about her....buthen at that time we used to have this group called the ' UNDERGROUND V4' where there were 4 of us who were kinda close as we all yum cha for almost every night and discuss problems and so on, they were kinda always talking about this girl and practically it made me curious about this new girl and i wanted to check her out but then i was kinda shy and scared ppl would start saying things about me calling me buaya and so on ne....*smack head*

And i also knew that 1 of the 4 was interested in her seriously and this caused me some dear time when he was buaya-ing her using ma lappy(ma 2nd wife~ XD), And 1 fine day while i was ular-ing from work and was online and chatting with this friend on msn and he suddenly asked me if i wanted to talk to this new girl or not and i was like i dun mind anything and then he got us into a convo and he MIA after a while ne....(damn sweat case) then we ended up adding each other up though we didnt talk to each other at all....

There came a day when ma friend couldn't go online and talk to her so he send a msg to asking to tell her about it...i was kinda reluctant to do that though buthen though that its just a favour so i just looked for her msn and told her about it....she was kinda emo at that time and that kinda troubled me sumhow....(i knw its very weird right?) so i started to talk to her asking her wats wrg and we talked for awhile and so on ne.....Then the next day we started talking again and i realised at that time she wasn't actually telling me something that she knows about me....but i was like who cares i was there to make friends and we talked till i think sumwhere around 4 o'clock and i kinda ter-slept ne....(pai seh pai seh)

The following day there wasn't much action as we didn't talk at all and so on....but then came sunday where clinston,( ma GODPAPA!!!) came by to ma condo to wash car and we ended up slacking in the cafe there onlining....i was talking to this girl called sunniestar from the forum as she told me that she knows japanese and asked me to help her abit with it so we were practically talking away on the voice call while clinston was talking to lexy (the girl i mentioned)...then suddenly she popped out saying in the window that she needs to talk to me and so on which made me abit kan cheong ne.....*smack head* and yea the next day we ended up talking untill almost morning and again i ter-slept ne....(why lar i always ter-sleep 1?? *smack head*)

Then sumhow we guys ended up talking for everynight and sometimes on the day time when i am awake ne....(ma sleeping time super sesat 1) Thats when i 1st thought i am playing quite a risky game as both of us were calling each other sayang by the 17th Nov...O.O!!! That was abit too fast right...LOL!!! But thats how things started as in Kbox we went around bollywood-ing as if we were couples as we were practically doing virtual PDA all around the place!!!(KAKAKA~!XD)

For now i think i shall pause the story here as it has a long loong looonnngg way to go more as this particular story is still going on and there ain't gonna be an end for this story ne!! We would keep on going and worst come to worst i might have to update it day by day as i might end up catching up real fast ne...(yea right)

Anyways as this is ma 1st time blogging and so on, i am really very unsure ne. *kan cheong* I dunno how ma writing is and am worried its boring...I hope to learn more as the time passes by!!

So for now adios amigos!!!

~Tree Trunk~