Some Rantings and a Review of I am Number Four

Hi everyone! After a 2 month+ span of silence, I'm back...again. I realise that since I started writing this blog, I've been pretty much a "now you see her, now you don't" kind of blogger and I would really like to apologise for that. Time is a luxury that I just don't have and I know although this is probably the case for most people, I have to say that the past 12 months have been an extraordinarily busy period for me. New job and exams has occupied the most part of my time. Despite this temporary setback in blogging, I do try to keep up with the latest around the blogosphere and I have been busy enjoying alot of interesting books. Now I'm hoping I can squeeze in the time to review all of them as well!

Anyway, below is a review of one of the latest books I've read and surprisingly quite a good one too.

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Title: I am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1)   

 
Author: Pittacus Lore

Genre: Science Fiction / Young Adult

Edition: Penguin Books, 2011 (374 pages)

From the Cover:
There were nine of us who escaped...
Number One was killed in Malaysia.
Number Two was murdered in England.
Number Three was hunted down in Kenya.
Before they come for the others, they'll come for me... I AM NUMBER FOUR

John Smith is not your average teenager. He regularly moves from small town to small town. he changes his name and identity. He does not put down roots. He cannot tell anyone who or what he really is. If he stops moving those who hunt him will find and kill him. So when he stops in Paradise, Ohio, John decides to try and settle down. To fit in. And for the first time he makes some real friends. People he cares about - and who care about him. Never in John's short life has there been space for friendship, or even love. But it's just a matter of time before John's secret is revealed. He was once one of nine. Three of them have been killed. John is Number Four. He knows that he is next...

My Thoughts:

For a book based on the alien race, a genre I'm not very fond of, I have to say that I actually enjoyed this one. The story centres around John Smith, a fourteen year old alien boy who descends from a planet similar to earth. He is one of the chosen ones. One with extraordinary powers - powers which have yet to develop in his young body and hence making him the target of a relentless and vicious alien race, the Mogadorians. As John grapples with the woes of living an inconspicuous life, and dealing with his unmastered developing powers, he meets a girl and suddenly everything changes. Although there were a few cheesy and dubious scenes, the storyline was intense and I couldn't help flicking through the pages on fast-forward mode. There was also a very strong message in relation to earth preservation which I really liked. I even developed a strong attachment towards Bernie Kosar, the stray but faithful little dog. Overall, I think this is a great book for teens, with just the right balance of entertainment value and moral conscience threaded in - 2 thumbs up! Can't wait to get my hands on the second book; The Power of Six!

p/s: Just watched the movie too and although I think Alex Pettyfer is too much of 'man' to play a fourteen year old, he is so irresistably hawtttt :)

De-stress, De-stress, De-stress…

I have a 101 things to blog about but have been so busy with work lately (*frown*). It’s almost year-end, and for business units like us (I manage corporate and investment accounts when I have half of my head on), year-ends are when we try to seal the deal to meet the budget so that we can live happily ever after on our fat bonuses. Sadly though, a fat bonus is probably a far-cry considering that we’ve barely met the budget this year. Which makes it an even more stressful year-end for me (although we have tried to blame it on the economy…hey, it’s not our fault, right?). On top of that, year-end is also where all the auditors in the world (both internal and external, not to mention the Bank Negara auditors too) suddenly converge to make it a living hell for people like us. The facts of life (*sigh*)…

Anyway, despite the busy-ness , I’m quite happy that I managed to squeeze in a few de-stresser activities over the past 2 months. Since I haven’t had a chance to write about them yet (will endeavour to do that real soon), I thought I’d just list summarise them down first. So here goes, a list summary of my top de-stresser activities for the months of Nov & Dec 2009:

1) Broga Hills Hike @ Semenyih, Selangor
A great way to work-out with friends and family. One can take a short hike (about 45mins to 1 hr) up Broga Hills to watch the sunrise/sunset, or simply enjoy the view from the top. Definitely a refreshing experience compared to the endless traffic and perpetual noise pollution in KL.

2) Comedy Club @ Zouk, Kuala Lumpur
This is a real great place to let all hang loose and laugh your guts out. I’ve had the pleasure of frequenting this place twice, and both times tremendously enjoyed myself. The Club features stand-up comedians from around the world, as well as local acts. I’ve only been to the ones held at Zouk, but I think they run shows at other places as well. If you’d like further info on this, please visit their official web page at:
http://www.thecomedyclubkl.com/home.html


3) Salomon X-Trail Challenge
This is my first time joining a running challenge and I LOVED it!!! Being a first-timer, I only did the 4km race and I finished too. Yippee!! For those who haven’t heard about this before, the Salomon X-Trail challenge is an off-road running race that takes you through the woods of Lembah Kiara, Taman Tun. The race is mostly 2kms up-hill and 2kms sprint, down-hill. And, there’s also the 10km track, for pros of course. Results are not out yet, but I think I may have done it an hour or so. Don’t know how I fared compared to other 4km racers, but I’m just happy I managed to finish it in one piece.

All in all, I’m feeling completely recharged and ready for the final 2 gruelling weeks of what's remaining of 2009. After that, all set for a new round of de-stresser Christmas hols and a whole new year ahead. Can’t wait!!

What Happens in Faeroe Island

I was clearing my over-flowing email box at work today (mostly work-related stuff of course…yeah right), when an email from a colleague caught my eye. The subject page on the email screamed “The Shame of Denmark – Disgraceful – Keep List Going Around”. Curious, I opened it and out streamed a dozen or so photos of a blood-red sea, filled with slaughtered dolphins; some of which had their guts spilling out. Re-produced below are a few photos from that email.

 This is a truly shocking an awfully sad sight. The email goes on to describe how this mass slaughtering of dolphins happens each year, in Faeroe Island - Denmark, where most of the participants are just teens. I couldn’t imagine how any sane, civilised person could commit such a heinous act of crime, and thought that the email was probably a hoax - so I wiki-ed it. This is an excerpt of what I found on Wikipedia:

“Whaling in the Faroe Islands has been practiced since 1584. It is regulated by Faroese authorities but not by the International Whaling Commission. Around 950 Long-finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala melaena) are killed annually. The hunts, called "grindadráp" in Faroese, are non-commercial and are organized on a community level; anyone can participate.

Most Faroese consider the hunt an important part of their culture and history. Animal-rights groups criticize the hunt as being cruel and unnecessary, while the hunters claim in return that most journalists do not exhibit sufficient knowledge of the catch methods or its economic significance.

Islanders in motorboats first drive the whales into a bay. The chase may be lengthy. The whales are eventually driven into the shallows. The islanders hammer 2.2 kg metal gaffs into the flesh of each whale until the hooks hold. A 15 cm knife is then used to slash through the blubber and flesh to the spinal column. Next the main blood vessels are severed.

The Faroese treat the hunt as a festive occasion. Children are often given a day off school. According to Faroese legislation it is also permitted to hunt certain species of small cetaceans other than pilot whales. These include: Bottlenose dolphin; Atlantic white-beaked dolphin; Atlantic white-sided dolphin; and Harbour porpoise (There are also specific regulations for the hunting of harbour porpoise. Harbour porpoises are killed with shotguns).”

Perhaps the Faroese have been misunderstood but for whatever reasons they have, the final result remains inhumane and unacceptable. There are many petitions on the web aimed at stopping this madness and it’s comforting to know that scores of people around the globe find it equally disgusting. I found one such petition and have signed my name to it. If you feel deeply about the cause and wish to sign-up too, do follow the link below:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stop-the-calderon-dolphin-slaughter-in-denmark

Perhaps with this, we can all make a difference..here’s hoping….

Thursday Finds...

I woke up feeling a little low today. Not really sure why. Perhaps it was the weather or the fact that I had tonnes of work but would rather lie in bed and rest my limbs. Perhaps it was time for my monthly womanly ritual...or perhaps I was just in dire need of a holiday. Who knows...women are complicated anyway.

I did manage to throw on something nice and drag myself reluctantly to work though (thank god for that - completely forgot I had a signing ceremony to attend) . After a few hours of clearing endless email, rummaging through files, preparing a credit paper and rushing for the signing gig, I suddenly had an inspiration. I thought the best way to cure this mild bout of depression was to go shopping...but not the haphazard-I-would-regret-later kind of shopping....more like the this-is-a-great-investment kind of shopping. I decided to go book-hunting at Kinokuniya. And true enough, that light-grey cloud of depression slowly lifted and revealed the bright yellow sun that I missed this morning. And this is what lifted my spirits today:

I love classics but am shameful to admit that I haven't really read that many, especially such famous ones like these. Kinokuniya was having a 20% sale on classic literature so I jumped at the opportunity. Nothings beats the joy of a good sale, even if it's just books....am truly a happy camper now :)