I was looking through the list of books I read so far this year, and I've only finished 25 books. It's almost October already and only 25 books? Whoa...I really have cut down. I didn't read a single book at all in fact, in June and July, which were the months I had the most sales at work. LOL! I really can't have it all, can I?

But anyway, I was counting up the different genres of books I've been reading this year and it's pretty varied, which is good. Let me see:

Fiction & Literature:
1. Evening Class - Maeve Binchy
2. The Pact - Jodi Picoult
3. Lost Horizon - James Hilton
4. Saving Fish from Drowning - Amy Tan
5. Sophie's Choice - William Styron
6. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

Non-fiction/self help:
1. The 24 Carrot Manager - Adrian Gostick & Chester Elton
2. Never Wrestle with a Pig - Mark McCormack

Fantasy/Sci-fi:
1. Smoke and Mirrors - Neil Gaiman
2. Tremble - Tobsha Learner
3. A Wrinkle in Time - Madelene L'Engle
4. Left Behind 1&2 - Tim LaHaye

Horror/Thriller:
1. The Midnight Tour - Richard Laymon
2. I am Frankenstein - C. Dean Andersson

Romance:
1. Winterbourne - Susan Carroll
2. Half Moon Bay - Meryl Sawyer
3. Wild Enough for Willa - Ann Major

Non-fiction/Biography:
1. Ten Thousand Sorrows - Elizabeth Kim
2. The Happy Hooker - Xaviera Hollander
3. Sybil - Flora Rheta Schreiber
4. Bronte's Story - Bronte Cullis

Historical:
1. The Wave - Todd Strasser
2. Empress Orchid - Anchee Min

Classics:
1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Hmm...not too bad. Not enough classics though. I'm reading Water Babies by Charles Kingsley now, so that should cover it. I never really consider what genre I want to read until I read it, but although I'm reading less books now than previously, but I feel like there's more variety now. Should I check my previous list in 2004 and see how I did? I read over 120 books in 2004, but I think it wasn't a wide variety like this.

I'll do it later... =P

You know, I finally know the reason why I still read trashy, sappy, romance novels. Literature nowadays is so cliche, the endings are always profound, depressing, and open-ended in some way. It's like, if there's a happy ending, it won't be a bestselling literature.

Sighz...

Whether that's true or not, I still like happy endings once in a while. I guess too much literature makes me depressed and then I need to take a break from 'quality' novels and read trashy ones instead.

It didn't used to be that way, though, classic literature has many stories with happy endings. I recently read Pride and Prejudice, for example, and it has a happy ending! I haven't been reading many classics. Maybe I should start reading them more. Almost every single literary novel nowadays are open-ended. Such a cliche!!

Makes me feel like sitting down right now and writing a literary novel with a happy ending. Bah!

Anyway, I just finished reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. It doesn't exactly have the kind of ending I was just moaning about, but you'll recognize the cliche when you read it.

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The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (432 pages)

Date Started: 26th Sept 2006
Date Finished: 29th Sept 2006

Rating:

The plot is a great one, and the prose amazing. The words just flowed off the page, making it a really enjoyable book to read. However, I felt that Edwards cheated the plot out of a really good story.

How do I explain it? Everyone knows it's a great plot, she got the plot from a real life story, in fact, and ran with it coz we all know that with a plot like that, it was probably destined to be a bestseller.

But I feel like it would've been a so much better story if given to someone who really *knew* how to make the most out of the plot. Edwards did a great job at the beginning of the novel, with the settings and the immediate consequences of the characters' actions, but it seems like she didn't know what to do with them after everything had happened. Fine, the doctor gave his daughter away, and then he and his family had their own miserable lives while his daughter had a separate life somewhere else.

And then what? Edwards didn't seem to know. She dragged it on and on and on... And finally got tired of all the characters' lives and decided to do something to end it. A very unrealistic something. And I don't mean what happened with the doctor, I mean what Caroline did after that.

I can't say more without giving away some spoilers, so if you think you wanna know, go read the book. =D

One of my clients sent this to me, it's the sweetest, most touching thing. I think I may be in a sentimental funk. Blek... =P I'm not posting everything, just the ones I liked. Read on.

Touching words from the mouth of babes: (When asked what does love mean?)

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4 (I love the way she thinks.)

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

I like the last one, it made me cry. But I'm wondering about this 'contest'... A contest to judge who was the most caring child? How does that even work?! And how can he even be sure if the story was a true one or one just made up? Does he follow the 'contestants' everywhere? Hmmpphh! Contest, indeed.

It's a great story, regardless of whether it's true or not, but the contest thing really just doesn't make sense. =P

I wonder why I'm crying over every sappy story I come across. LOL!

This is like, soooooo true. =D

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways. You tend to focus on color and movement in art. For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail. You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

What Art Movement Are You?

The video in my previous post inspired me so much, that I did a little search on google about the mastermind behind it all, Juan Mann. It led me to this article, which was actually published two years ago.

The video was only posted a few days ago to YouTube.com, that's why it's only making its rounds two years after the free hugs campaign started. And even the music is new, Sick Puppies are only releasing their debut album in 2007!

Anyway, the 'campaign' was started by Juan Mann, who was 22 at the time(he looks so much old-uh....more mature, than 22!), coz he thought that people looked really down and needed some hugs to lift their spirits. It's wonderful how one man(Juan Mann) made everybody's day. Pretty soon, people were joining him in his quest to give out free hugs, and everyone started hugging everyone....LOL! It's wonderful!

It speaks volumes about our generation nowadays that people actually tried to BAN free hugs! Can you believe that?!

How can you ban HUGS?????!

But at the same time, it speaks a lot about our generation too, that so many people fought against the ban. And won! Love and compassion always win!! *warm fuzzies* =D

Anyway, I love the story. And I love hugs. I read somewhere, it was in a psychology textbook I believe, that we need at least 7 hugs a day to thrive! We need hugs to flourish, people!! So next time you see me, give me a hug, will you? =D

HuGz to all!!!

This is the most beautiful video....it made me cry....*sniff* =)

Makes you believe in humanity again, doesn't it? All we need is one person to start changing the world, and the rest will follow. What a big difference a single person could make.

The music's really great too! I'm gonna go to the website and see if there's anymore I can download.

Enjoy! =D

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

F**K!! I spent five whole hours, trying to add my blog account into my YouTube account so that I could post this on my blog!

FIVE WHOLE DAMN HOURS!

Because the stupid thing was taking so blardee long to load! And when I finally decided to give up, I saw the stupid little box at the side with the URL and the embed html for linking into your blog! How bloody stupid could I be! Arrrrgggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, you guys better enjoy this, after I went through all the (unneccessary) trouble. Sighz...

Seriously, it's a damn good movie. The ultimate domino effect in video!! =D

I swear I am never ever gonna eat or drink in front of Lone again!

I almost choked last night coz of his funny antics! LOL!

I was eating dessert, sesame seed balls(which were delicious, btw), and I have no idea what Lone, C-Zer and Bob were talking about but all of a sudden Lone started 'flirting' with Bob. Oh, don't worry, nobody's gay, but we just like to tease Bob about being gay coz he's so uptight about girls touching him. But he's ten thousand times worse when a guy touches him, so we know he's not gay. LOL!

Anyway, here's *roughly* how it went:

Lone: (in a very 'fatt hao' voice)Bobby...you free tonight hor? Come, we go dating tonight. (starts fingering the chopsticks on the table and batting his eyelashes)

Bob: (shudders) Tiu! Stop it ler, man! Goosebumps already!

Lone: ('fatt hao' voice) Whhhyyyyy??? You don't like me izzit? (pouts)

Me: (To Lone)He don't want you la, he wants me. (To C-Zer) Los kongs, can I have a third low kong?

C-Zer: (smirking)Why not? Go ahead la. Hahaha!

Me: Bobby...you wanna be my third low kong? (batts eyelashes)

Bob: For what la, aiyeerr....

Me: Aiyak...you don't want me also ar? (shrugs) (To Lone)Hmm...seems like he's more scared of me going after him, than you wor...

Then, I stuffed a sesame ball into my mouth! And then...

Lone: Yalar, Bob. Guy also you dun wan, girl also you dun wan... What you wan? (long pause, and a sudden mischievous glint in his eye...) Ehhhhhh.....Bob, kenot like that ar! Betty's dog already got boyfriend k!!

Oh my f-king God!! C-Zer and I started laughing like mad! And me laughing with that stupid squishy sesame ball in my mouth! I couldn't swallow, I couldn't chew, I couldn't spit it out. I just kept laughing with my mouth closed until my stomach hurt with the stupid thing in my mouth!!

Bob went: Tiu!!!!!! But then he started laughing too. And then Lone said something which made things worse....

.
.
.

"Her dog's boyfriend is me, ok!"

And all of us went off again! And with that f-king sesame ball still in my mouth, dammit!!!!!! It was several minutes before I could stop laughing, yes, with the stupid thing still in my mouth! And when I finally calmed myself down and swallowed the stupid thing, I gave Lone a series of whacks on the arm!!

I'm damn lucky I wasn't drinking! And I'm never gonna eat or drink in front of Lone again! Omg...he's too much already! Interested in dog pulak! Dammit! LOL!!!!!

Sophie's Choice by William Styron
(626 pages)

Date Started: 14th Sept 2006
Date Finished: 26th Sept 2006

Rating:

Oh my God, what a read! I finally finished this book after twelve days of slogging through it, and I'm exhausted!

It was an extremely intense read, deep and thought-provoking, but I guess I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to absorb everything that Styron had to offer. It held me captivated til the end, but there were many parts that I skipped because it got too descriptive and technical about the war. In fact, Styron went off into many tangents most of the time which, although has some relevance to the story itself, tended to get long-winded.

My initial interest in this book was because of the many references to 'Sophie's Choice' in real life, which I inferred from those references to mean a difficult choice. But I never knew all this while, what the choice was, what people were referring to, and just what the hype was over this 'choice'.

So I decided to read the book for myself and find out. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Whoowee...

Intense is the word. It was a freaking thriller! I kept asking myself, 'What happens next? What happens next?!' I was literally holding my breath each time I turned another page!

The way Styron wove the story is incredibly masterful. The story keeps on building up, and along with it the suspense and the tension of the reader. Secrets were unveiled little by little as Styron brings you closer to the climax. I could've guess the ending...well, ok, I couldn't have guessed it, but the ending doesn't surprise me.

Anyway, although the ending was pretty much predictable, in this story it wasn't about the destination. It was the journey. All the backstory about Sophie and Nathan, especially Sophie's history, was crucial in bringing us to this conclusion. It's a valuable insight to how our pasts affects us and make us who we are, how sometimes it can make us stronger people, but at the same time, it could also destroy us.

I like incorporating lessons from the books I read into my life. And while I could just stop here without elaborating further on what I got out of this read, I won't. I am a believer in personal strength, and attitude. I believe that two people can go through the exact same ordeal, and yet one will be a stronger and better person because of it, and yet the other can be a total wreck. Everybody handles things differently. And while I can totally understand the motives of the characters in Styron's novel, I believe that we can also learn a lesson from their mistakes.

I believe one day I will come back to this book again. It was a terrific read, and very engrossing, but I didn't do it justice with my inability to focus on Styron's amazing narrative on the South and of the war, so perhaps one day I will re-read this again, and come away with a deeper insight.

Another one, just coz I'm still bored =P

A - Age: 23
B - Band listening to right now: Sass Jordan
C - Career: I fight with the pen!
D - Drink or smoke: Don't drink, don't smoke.
E - Easiest person/s to talk to: Me! I talk to myself all the time, and I find I'm a great listener. LOL!
F - Favorite song/s at the moment: High Road Easy - Sass Jordan
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Bears!
J - Junk foods you like: Cheezels
L - Longest car ride ever: Um....
M - My favorite Sport/s: Badminton, the only sport I can play anyway. =P
N - Number of relationships you've had: Hahahha...now? 10, 000
O - One wish you have: To have my own private library, that's bigger than the public library
P - Phobias: Heights, stupid morons
Q - Favorite Quote: 'I am my biggest fan.' -Betty Wong
R - Reason to smile: Chocolate!
S - Song: I just answered! Sheesh!
T- Time you woke up: 8.00am
U - Unknown fact about you: I talk to dead people.
V - Vegetable/fruit you hate: Celery, ugh!
W - Worst habit: Procrastinating...sighz..
X - X-rays you've had: None that I remember
Y- Yummy food/s: TomYum!
Z- Zodiac sign: Libra Rocks!

Coz I'm bored...


4 Jobs I've Had in My Life...

1. Sales assistant in a bookstore.
2. Singer in a showband
3. Admin assistant in dad's office
4. Investment consultant

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over...

1. The Phantom of the Opera(love it, love it, LOVE it!)
2. Lord of the Dance(not a movie exactly, but I love it)
3. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
4. Take the Lead (check out the dance moves)
   

4 Places I've lived...

1. Old hse in Tmn Desa
2. After old hse in Tmn Desa
3. Sunway
4. Melbourne(for a month, does that count?)

4 TV Shows I Love to Watch...

1. CSI
2. Rockstar
3. Lost
4. Smallville

4 Places I've Been on Vacation...

1. Korea
2. China
3. Thailand
4. Australia

4 Websites I Visit Daily...

1. Bookcrossing.com
2. xiaxue.blogspot.com
3. Sassyjan.com
4. Myblogspot ;P

4 of My Favorite Foods...

1. Brownies!
2. Tom Yum!
3. Lamb shoulder!
4. Ice cream!

4 Places I'd Rather be Right Now...

1. Home sleeping
2. Melbourne
3. Canada in BC with my couz
4. Home sleeping

4 Bloggers I'm Tagging...

1. Elaine
2. Yee Leng
3. Yoke May
4. U Shean

=P

Yayy! My brother just came back from Canada today, after visiting Alberta for five days with the Waltonians, and then going to Vancouver to stay with Allie and Pius for two weeks!

I was psyched, couldn't wait to see what he got me from there. Yup! I totally didn't miss him at all, I just wanted my souvenirs!

LOL! Just joking! ;P

But seriously, other than missing him, I was really excited to see what he got me, coz before he boarded the plane to come home, he sms-ed us and said I'd be really happy to see what he got for me. And Allie had also given him a book to pass to me, and we all know I'm a sucker for books. =P

We got there early, so I passed the time reading and singing along to the radio. But I'll so totally remember my brother's face when he saw us at the arrival gates. He was sooooo happy! And so glad to be home. And then he said again, Betty's gonna be so happy when she sees what I have for her. =D

Soooooooo....without keeping you guys in suspense anymore. Here are the pictures! =D

On the way to pick up bro from the airport!

Me in the backseat

The maple syrup he brought back for us! Yummy! And...

My absolute favourite maple syrup cookies!!!! Delicious!

This T-shirt from Edmonton, which is a lot cooler and more original than one which says, "My brother went to Edmonton and all he got me was this lousy T-shirt." LOL! =D

And this is from my Aunt in Vancouver, an Abercrombie tee that I really really adore! Thanks, Aunt Alice! Muah!

Eat your heart out, American Idol fans! I'm gonna have so much fun with this. Wheeeee!! =D

A namecard holder, a keychain, and a pen for the office. And finally...

From Allison, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. There's a post-it inside from her that says:

Hello Dear Cousin!

.....this book is the current best seller in North America so I hope you
enjoy it!

Love, Allie

I'm sooooo happy!!!!! I love receiving gifts! And it's not even my birthday yet! =D

I've been really hard at work lately setting up my new bookblog. It's not as simple as I thought it was gonna be, but that's my own fault. If all I wanted was to set up a simple site about books, it would've been easy, but nooooo..... I had to get all fired up about it, and check out thousands of blogskins for the design, and search for ways to add a category listing for my books(which I found, btw, but I'm still not happy with it)...

So...I'm not sure how it's gonna go. Since I really seem to be stuck in the category thing...

But I'll search somemore tomorrow. It's late now and I'm really tired. I've been up since 8 this morning, and I slept at 3am last night. Sighz....

*Yawnnnnnn*

Good night! }D

Well, I'm back! The blogging project is over!

Though I did have fun posting about the things I did there, I still prefer to be able to post about what I want, whenever I want. No pressure, you know. And after all, I'm not a professional blogger. I still have a regular job, and not enough time to blog all day everyday. Now, if I was a professional blogger...I wouldn't mind blogging all day everyday. But then the only thing I'll have to say is, 'Today I blogged...' LOL!

By the way, I've added a few blog widgets on the sidebar
--------------------------->>>
I think I've gotten hooked on them. LOL! I love the widget for books, I got that from Librarything.com and it automatically links to amazon too! Love it!

Loved it so much that I've decided to start another blog just for my books. You know, for reviewing the books I read and all. Coz if I just blog about them here, they'll get lost in all my usual post and rantings. So I figured it'd be better if I had a special blog for books. A bookblog! =D

And I can also blog occasionally about the songs I liked, or movies I've seen... Reviews! I love reviewing! My style, of course. Anyway, it's at BettysBooks.blogspot.com just in case anyone's interested. It's currently 'under construction' though. I just created it today, so it'll be awhile before it'll be ready for visitors. =(

I've also gotten another widget, which I *absolutely* love!!!! At the sidebar, right below the book widget, is a widget for my favorite thingz! It scrolls through all the stuff I like, like my favorite bands, website, singers, tv shows...etc. I love it love it love it!!! I feel like adding a few more widgets, but I'm afraid of having a widget-overkill. LOL!

It's a good thing I'm starting the new bookblog, some of the burden of 'widget-ing' here can be shared on that page too! LOL!

Damn! It's good to be back! =D

I miss you, blogspot! I'm blogging at another site now for the project, but I can't wait til it's over and I can blog here again! And blog about my thoughts and feelings and ideas and crazy lunatic ravings!

Rather than about what I did today/yesterday/day before...etc. I mean, it's ok doing that, but after I go into all the details of what I did and where I went and who I was with, I hardly have the time to talk about what I thought, or how I felt, and what new ideas I've gotten! Because, you know me, a single thing can spark my thoughts and I'll go off into a million tangents of ideas!

I'm actually kind of stressed right now at work. Coz I feel like I've made a commitment which I really have to honor, and if I don't, many people will be disappointed, but at the same time, I keep thinking of my dreams and what I really want to do. And I'm thinking, I could do both! I could! If I maybe cut down some of my hours off work, and spent them writing instead, for example. But I know if I took it slow at work, my brother and my managers will definitely be disappointed.

Oh, what can I do... I'm so sorry that I don't have much time to blog now. I'm just rushing in here coz I needed to let it out. But I have to rush off again coz I have to get something to eat. Well...few more days left til the blogging project is over. Then I'll be back for good! Yayyy! :D

Just a heads-up to die-hard fans of my blog(yeah, right), I won't be blogging here as much for the next two weeks because I've just signed up for a two-week blogging project. I'll have to blog about my everyday life, mostly about my night life style, because it's actually a market survey of what the youth nowadays like to do, where they hang out, who with...etc. The organizers are gonna be pretty bored with my entries, I think. LOL!

I went for the briefing yesterday, and it seemed like most of them were college students, I was one of the few who were working. I felt more than a little out of place, I can tell you. And OLD! :P The organizers pretty much wanted us to blog about the places we hung out, where, when, who, what, how...etc and all the details. Like I said, a market survey.

They did mention though, that they didn't want us to go out everyday on purpose just because of this project, to spice it up or whatever. If we felt like staying at home, reading a book or watching tv, that's fine too, but we still had to blog about it. They wanted us to be as natural as possible. So that's great, coz they do understand that we don't always want to go out everyday, but in my case, I feel like, what if all I blog about is how I stayed at home everyday for these two weeks, reading and writing in my blog. Lame, isn't it.

Well, it's a market survey, they'll just have to accept that the market consists of people like me. The unhappening-stay-at-home people. :P

On the plus side, we're getting paid for it at the end of the two weeks. Well, obviously. You didn't think I was gonna do this for free, did you? It's two weeks of blogging. It takes up time and effort. Esp. since we have to have pictures as well. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that. We need to post up pictures of the things we did. Even if it's just watching tv, we're supposed to take a picture of ourselves watching tv. Um...ok. It's a good thing I'm getting paid.

I'm sure it'll be fun. I like blogging anyway. And I'm narcissistic enough to think that the things I do and say matters to people. So getting paid to do something I like, and knowing that the organizers *want* to hear about what I did in my life. Perfect. :D

I still want to blog here, but I really won't know if I'll have the time, since I'm committing to this other blog for two weeks. So I hope my fans don't get withdrawal symptoms if they don't hear from me. ;D

Until I blog again. Ta!

Steve Irwin's unexpected death recently made me re-think certain things. How many of us will not be afraid of dying tomorrow and not having done the things we always wanted to do? I'm sure many people have already said this, but I'll say it again, Steve Irwin lived doing the things he loved, and he died doing the things he loved. It happened so fast, and he probably didn't even realize he was dying, but if he did, he would've thought to himself, 'I have no regrets, I've lived my life to the fullest everyday of my life, doing what I loved and contributing something to the world.'

How many of us would be able to say this if we were to die tomorrow? I sure can't. I haven't done the things I really want to do. Granted, I'm only 23 years old, and Steve was 44, if I'm not mistaken. He had 21 more years than me to acheive the things he did. But then again, I'm sure there are a lot of child prodigies who acheived what they wanted when they were 10!

The point here being, although I may very well live to be a 100, I could just as well die in a freak accident tomorrow. Life is such a fragile thing, how would you know when it's your time to go. I could say, I've got plenty of time to live my dreams, I'm only 23, I'll start living my dreams when I retire at 40. Who's to say I will live to see 40?

I know what I want to do. I've had this conflict in me for the longest time. I chose not to live my dream now, and to live in reality. I used to be a dreamer, but I'm the most f***ing realistic person you can find today. And it hurts me like hell, but I'm going to continue living in reality for now. I may die tomorrow and never get a chance to make my dreams come true, but this is the f***ing real world, and this is my choice. I'm dealing with it.

I will make it happen though, you just wait.

Recently there have been many of my friends who've found the one and gotten hitched. For better or worse, happy ever after and all that. I know there's gonna be a lot more of my friends getting married as time goes by...like duh, we're at the age where we're prone to catching this marriage disease. But the thing is...you can almost tell, who are the ones who will end up marrying young, who will not want to get married til they're almost old maids, who will end up marrying their career, who will end up marrying coz they got pregnant. LOL! Of coz, I'm not always right, but it's fun to speculate.

As for me, I've always wanted marry young. My ambition when I was younger, was to marry a good looking prince loaded with money who will love me forever after and give me everything I want. And I would stay in this big beautiful castle with a gigantic library filled with all the books I want! Sort of like the one from the Beauty and the Beast animated movie. *Poof!* The bubble burst when I grew up.

Now I know better, I'm not interested in a good looking guy, coz I'd have too much competition and that would give me more headaches than peace. I don't want a prince, because I don't want someone who's too much in the spotlight and have to answer to a nation's demands all the time. I don't need someone who's loaded with money, because a filthy rich man might have a filthy mind too, and he'd have lots of money to supply the filth.

But I do want someone who'll love me forever after and take care of me always and give me everything I *need*. I want someone who'll be able to provide security, which of coz, includes being able to make money...

Hey, I never said I didn't want any money at all. I just don't want a Donald Trump or a Bill Gates, but an average well-to-do businessman will do just fine. :P

Well, I know exactly what I want, and I'm not so demanding anymore. I'm not looking for the good looking, loaded prince after all. But there are some basic criteria that a guy needs to have, and if these criteria aren't met, then bye bye to him.

Some people say I'm too demanding because of that, but IMHO, I don't think I'm too demanding. I mean, come on people, some of you would spend hours and hours on end, looking for the perfect dress for the prom night or company dinner or whatever. And spend another few more hours looking for the perfect shoes to fit the perfect dress. And then the perfect purse...and then the perfect salon for the perfect hair, and the perfect nails...etc.

What about the perfect date? And not just for that event. What about the perfect date for the rest of your lives? I mean, your dress/shoes/hair/purse...etc needs to fit a certain criteria before you would even want it right? So why do we always compromise with the men we're with?

You date a guy, becoz he's cute and you were attracted to each other, you start hanging out more, you get more attracted to each other, you start bonding and sharing more with each other, then you find a few things you don't really like about him, but it's ok, coz they are just minor stuff, I can live with that because his good points waaayyyyy overshadows his bad. Then you find out more stuff about him which annoys you, I don't know, he's egotistic, he doesn't stand up for himself when a waiter brings the wrong order, he slurps when he drinks, he never cleans up after himself, he doesn't pick up your calls when he's out with the boys, he doesn't listen to you when you talk, he leaves the room when you cry....

Damn! But you've already fallen for him! So what do you do? You have these long talks, where you do all the talking, and he pretends to listen, about how he should change, how he should treat you better, how he should be more sensitive...blah blah blah...

And it works! Yeah, for the first two weeks or so. Then it's back to the same old same old.

That's not for me, gals. Been through that too many times to count. I should hope I've wisen up somewhat. Now a guy's gotta have everything on my must-have criteria before I'd even consider dating him. There's no point to dating someone who doesn't have what you want, and then changing him. It's like going house hunting. You don't buy a house you only think you'll like after you fix it up, renovate the kitchen, extend the porch, elevate the roof, break down the walls....etc. You buy a house you know you'll love, and which you'll love more when you paint it up with your favourite colors, and decorate it with furniture you chose.

These kind of minor changes is what a guy will be happy to do for you. Don't tell him to change his personality or attitude or the whole foundation of who he is for you. But fill him up with your passion and the things you love, decorate his life with your favorite things, the things he love you for, without changing his foundation, and he will naturally become a better person because you paint his world.

So...I'm still looking for my dream house. But I know my patience will pay off one day. Who knows? It might be right under my nose already.

Happy house-hunting to all! :D

Today was a *really* challenging day for me. And not in the way that you'd think too. It was really challenging going through today staying awake, because I totally did not get any sleep last night. Not much happened today otherwise. Just went out to meet some friends and hung out awhile.

Ok, anyway...the reason I didn't get enough sleep was partly coz I was so engrossed in a book that I totally did not think I would like at all. :P

The Left Behind series by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins.

Click on the image to see amazon reviews.

Yes....the christian fiction that was all hyped up in the 90's. Imagine! Me! Hooked!

Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with a lot of their premise and theories and whatever, but as far as good stories go, this is one of the best. As long as you know it's FICTION! I totally don't agree that Christianity is the real path, I totally don't believe that God will leave any of us behind just becoz we weren't Christians, that's like total bullshit. It's a great book, it's a great story, very imaginative and all that, but this only gives those dogmatic Christians another reason to be dogmatic. I mean, come on, it wasn't just the non-Christians who were left behind, but the Christians who weren't *true* Christians, who didn't believe enough(according to the story), were left behind too! They are in effect, telling all the 'good' Christians that they would be left behind if they didn't start being dogmatic too. :P I wonder if churches were encouraging their followers to read this book and take it literally.

Honestly, I am enjoying the book, but at the same time, I'm outraged by what they're implying too. I have so many thoughts running through my head reading this series. I'm still reading the first book, and there are ELEVEN more to go! I'm gonna get broke coz of this. :P I'll come back with a more detailed review next time, I guess. But just as long as we're clear on this. I'm enjoying the book, very much in fact, but I'm taking it as a SCI-FI/FANTASY novel! Which it is anyway. :P

If you take it any other way, it's really quite offensive to the rest of us non-Christians. As if all of us will go to hell if we don't start believing and converting or whatever. I believe God is better than that. Oh well, this was a controversial book anyway, and I just had to read it to see what the hype was about. I'm surprised I ended up hooked, but it doesn't mean I like what they're saying, I just like the way they're telling the story. :P

Ok, that's all I'll say for now, I'm still in the middle of the book, so I'll come back later when I've finished it. I reserve the right to change my opinion after I finish the book and/or the whole series. :P