Lovely Surprises!

Music In My Soul Wall Art Print

16 x 24 inches without the watermark

it vibrates inside me,
holding me tightly,
this music in my soul,
i will never let go...

I won this from Sandy's Background. Thanks, Sandy! This fine art print is created using high-quality paper and printing to produce a vivid and detailed reproduction. The image is very clear and lovely! Music In My Soul possesses an extraordinary charm that inspires people to connect and embrace with each other using the one and only "universal language" --- music. You can visit the artist's page here: Qinni on deviantART.

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Currently, Sandy is hosting a giveaway on her blog. 4 winners will each receive a bookmark by Annie Stegg Illustration on Etsy. Click the image below to enter. Sandy also has a Book Blog called Scribing Shadows.

Click the image to enter. DEADLINE: December 31st 2010

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I won a copy of The Maze Runner by James Dashner from Lost In The Library during the Gratitude Giveaway. Thanks for ordering this book for me, Jen! :)

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And last but not least, thanks to Shelly from DragonflyKissJewelry for sending me $40 worth of jewelry from her shop, which I've redeemed using the gift certificate I won on her blog earlier! I really love these gorgeous jewelry!

Here are the items I received:

Sterling Wire Wrapped Swarovski Crystal And Snowflake Necklace

$22.00 USD (Approximately RM69.98 MYR)

The Amethyst Swarovski Crystal Pendant ($6) as seen in
Sterling Silver Skeleton Key And Swarovski Crystal Necklace
$22.00 USD (Approximately RM69.98 MYR)

Peace Sign Leather Necklace

$12.00 USD (Approximately RM38.17 MYR)

I'll give this necklace to my sister as a Christmas gift! Although it's a bit late, I'm sure she'll love it nevertheless! :)

Toilet Bowl Terror

PART 1

An hour ago, I was having my deliciously-long bath. While I was showering myself, a thought suddenly emerged: Why don't I shower while doing a facial mask? So I went over to the basin and grabbed the bottle of Sandalwood Cleansing Powder to pour some of the contents out. (The Sandalwood Cleansing Powder is used by mixing some water to make it sticky and then gently rub it on the face to remove dead cells.)

After getting some powder on my palm, I closed the lid. But it slipped out of my slick, wet hands and clang! it hit the toilet bowl and shattered into pieces, its content all in the toilet bowl until the water is so murky I practically can't see the bottom.

OMG. What have I done?

I flushed the toilet bowl twice to remove the powder and saw the remains of what used to be the glass bottle a second ago. I cursed myself for my clumsiness and stupidity. Now the problem was how to get them out from the toilet bowl?

My inner-self yelled, "Use you hands, idiot!"

I replied, "That is so gross! Can't you think of anything else?"

My inner-self said again, "Then use some dried sticks to get them out, like how you pick food with your chopsticks!"

"This is more acceptable. OK, then. I'll go find some sticks." I replied glumly.

PART 2

I examined my garden for the trace of dried sticks, and ended up with two thin ones. These will do, I told myself.

Back in my toilet. I tried to get those pieces up, but they kept falling back to where their original place. Shit!

At this moment, my inner-self told me, "Hey, why don't you get those things up with your hand wrapped in a plastic bag?"

I considered about it for a second, and rushed downstairs to get a plastic bag. But still, I couldn't help wondering: Wouldn't it be so gross if the water leaked into the plastic bag? Then my hands would be stained with dirty water.

PART 3

Finally, I succeeded in collecting the pieces of glass from the toilet bowl. But my worst premonition came true. The water did leak into the plastic bag! Eeeewwww! Yucks! Gross!

I washed my hands ten times after accomplishing my mission impossible.

Thank God my mom didn't know about this.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!
I hope all your wishes come true!

And, before I forget...
Happy Birthday, Mary!

Eerily Beautiful

Marina Bychkova's Enchanted Doll features galleries of her handcrafted, porcelain plus examples of her polymer clay dolls, jewelry, and other artwork. You can also visit her blog for more.

Ruby by Enchanted Doll - a ball jointed, porcelain doll. She is 100% handmade. This doll was on eBay earlier, and the winning bid is US $13,500.00! Just imagine!

Look at these miniature shoes! Two styles: Hopscotch and Marie-Antoinettes, both 24k gold-plated and enameled.

This one looks gorgeous, in a melancholic way.


Tins are available at $49 CAD. They are currently 20% off and on sale for $39.00.

Doll with Golden Lilies wearing exquisitely beautiful lotus shoes.

If you’re curious about how Marina's porcelain dolls are made you can find the summary of her creative process HERE. Have a browse through the gallery to get an idea of the work involved into making a ball-jointed, porcelain doll.

Beauty and the Beast, or the Stockholm syndrome in fairy tales.

Cinderella: Cathedral

Alice in Wonderland: Alice

Banshee

Dunyazade

Agnetha - The Other Woman

It's Raining, It's Raining...

Thursday, 16 December 2010. A Day of Endless Rain.


It's raining cats and dogs.

The air is really fresh, and the weather is very cool, like someone just turned the air-conditioning system on, but still it sucks for not being able to see the sun. Oh, how ironic of me to say that when all I do is read YA novels and sit in front of my laptop the whole day, furiously typing away at the keyboard.

Have you ever played in the rain?


I know I've done this before. Jumping in puddles! Totally rocks!


I've also done this before, but not wearing bikinis.


He's absolutely cute, but I'm NOT trying this.


"Hey! Don't you dare kick my butt!"


When the rain stops, the sun will continue to shine!
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Did you watch this drama called "He's Beautiful"?

l-r: Jung Yong Hwa, Jang Geun Suk, Park Shin Hye, Lee Hong Ki

I think the guy wearing green shirt looks sissy! (lol) Take a look at his un-sissy pictures below:

His face bears some resemblances to Jo In Sung:

Don't they look like brothers?!

Trip To Ipoh

Yesterday, I went to Ipoh with my family. The first place we visited was Parkson shopping complex, because I love to make my purchases from a particular second-hand bookstore there, which is commonly known as Novelhut. But before that, we found a Thai corner in Parkson (!!!) which is so awesome! Have I ever mentioned how much I love Thailand?

My sister ordered this:

Thai sweet coconut sticky rice with mango. (Thai: ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง) khao niao mamuang

She really loves to eat this. This serving is made from a few slices of mango and sticky rice (糯米). It's sweet AND sticky!

Thai clothes and ladies shoes are available for a cheap price. And the salesperson speaks Thai! I think they are all from Thailand. I found some cotton T-shirts for women, all sold at RM 10! But I didn't buy any, cos my mom is going to Thailand for 3 days 2 nights starting from Dec 10. She'll get some better bargains there.

On to Novelhut:

See what I got:

Very old but in good condition - The Blair Witch Files: The Witch's Daughter - RM 3 (Great buy!) I finished this book last night! It was so scary and creepy!


Very old! - Beastly by Alex Flinn - RM 20 (So expensive!!!)


Mint condition - Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Book One) - RM 21 (Good price). Actually I found book 2, 3 and 5 too, but I decided to buy the first one and see if I like it before purchasing the rest.

That's all! Thanks for reading! :)

My Brain Dominance Test Report

Balanced Brain: 14 Left-Brain Responses/ 16 Right Responses

Of 30 questions, 14 of your responses indicate you are left brained dominant. 16 of your responses are indications of right brain dominance. These results indicate you have a balanced brain, with no tendency to think towards either side.

Those who are middle-brain dominant tend to be more flexible than either the left or the right-brain folks; however, you often vacillate between the two hemispheres when you make decisions. You sometimes get confused when decisions need to be made because, neurologically speaking, you could do most tasks through either a left-brain or a right-brain method!

A balanced score means you are able to draw on the strengths of both the right and left hemispheres of your brain depending upon a given situation. This combination makes you a creative and flexible thinker.The down side to having a more "balanced brain" is that you may sometimes feel paralyzed by indecision when the two hemispheres of your brain are competing to solve a problem in their own unique ways. You may also find career choices difficult due to your proficiency in several different areas.

► Take This Quiz ◄

Once Upon A Time

I've always loved fairytales as a child, and I still do. Disney's princesses have a special place in my heart, besides all the Enid Blyton's books which I've grown up reading.

My favourite princess is Belle. I don't know why, but she seems to be such a nice girl. And she's a bookworm. Extra points for that!


Cinderella is a hardworking and kind girl, and I think her fairy godmother is absolutely cute!


I like Aurora's pink dress.


Ariel's love life seems to be full of obstacles.


I once thought that Snow White wasn't beautiful, but later I changed my mind. I think it was because I disliked her tomboyish hairstyle.


I don't know much about Jasmine, but I think Aladdin's cool.


I admit Mulan was never my favourite. But years later, when I watched the movie again, I found out that among all the princesses, she's the only one who has extraordinary courage and wit. She is an admirable person despite her ordinary looks.

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Don't forget to enter!

Giveaway: Signed Copy of Afterlight by Elle Jasper
International, ends 30th November, 2010.

New Winner! Congratulations, Queeny!

Sadly, the winner of the $20 to RedBracelet.etsy.com never respond although I contacted her via e-mail, Twitter and Etsy convo. So I had to pick a new winner.

True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:
Result: 49

#49 is Queeny!

Congratulations, girl! I will contact you via e-mail and you'll have 2 days to respond with your name and complete mailing address.

Knowledge Is Power Challenge #1: Wonders Of The World

Welcome to the Knowledge Is Power Challenge! Today I'm going to test your knowledge regarding the Wonders Of The World. Anyone can participate in this challenge, but I hope you can be honest and don't Google for the answers. Use your own ability to find out the answers.

You can put this button on your sidebar if you like.

<center><a href="hhttp://aik-friendsnfamily.blogspot.com/search/label/Knowledge%20Is%20Power%20Challenge"><img style="width: 206px; height: 206px;" src="http://www.livebannermaker.com/app/banner-creator/banners/livebannermaker_86239.jpg" />alt="Knowledge Is Power Badge"/></a></center>


Let the fun begin!

1. Which of the following is The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
a) Hanging Gardens of Babylon
b) Taj Mahal
c) Leaning Tower of Pisa
d) Colosseum

2. The Great Pyramid of Giza is also called the...
a) Pyramid of Gizeh
b) Pyramid of Hemiunu
c) Pyramid of Khufu
d) Pyramid of Menkaure

3. Who made the Statue of Zeus at Olympia?
a) Aemilius Paulus
b) Phidias
c) Dio Chrysostom
d) Plutarch

4. Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of...
a) his grandfather
b) his father
c) his mother
d) his wife

5. The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing was designed during reign of which Chinese Emperor?
a) Yongle Emperor
b) Jianwen Emperor
c) Hongxi Emperor
d) Hongwu Emperor

6. The Stonehenge is believed to serve as the following, except...
a) time indicator
b) astronomical observatory
c) burial ground
d) religious site

7. The Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows as well as a variety of other events. One popular type of show was the animal hunt. It is also known as...
a) munera
b) venatio
c) naumachiae
d) velarium

8. Why did Qin Shi Huang continue building the Great Wall of China?
a) To protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire
b) To impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords
c) To conquer Inner Mongolia
d) To destroy the tribes which are ruling different parts of China

9. Why did The Leaning Tower of Pisa begin to sink?
a) It is designed that way
b) One side of the upper floors is taller than the other
c) It is hastily made, without accurate architectural design
d) There is a problem with the base of the construction

10. The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa is a historical archaeological site located in...
a) Jerusalem, Israel
b) Rome, Italy
c) Alexandria, Egypt
d) Istanbul, Turkey

You may leave your answers in the comments section.

Congratulations, TigerLily!

The winner of the $20 to RedBracelet.etsy.com is...

True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:
Result: 31

TigerLily!!!

Congrats, TigerLily! I will contact you via e-mail and you'll have 2 days to respond with your name and complete mailing address. I hope you enjoy your $20 gift certificate!