An end of an era

Today is a day of change.

In all honesty, this change doesn't quite impact me

but in some strange way it does.

I don't make much sense do I but let's just say

it's an end of an era.

I love this song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.

See here for the lyrics.

"I don't quite know 

how I feel...

If I lay here, 
would you lie with me 

and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life.

Let's waste time chasing cars

around our heads!"

The Most Beautiful Bookstores in The World

I have always loved reading books. When I younger, I used

to reread the books my parents got me. I never had many

classics, mostly Enid Blyton's and fairy tales but they were

enough for me. I lost myself in this marvelous world and 

never looked back. Instead, as I grew older, I read more

and more and more and at the same time, I acquired more 

and more books so much so that I doubt I will ever have

the time to read all the books I have bought which is sad

sad thing indeed. 

As I was surfing the interweb, I read a post from a friend of

mine about 'The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores In The World'

and could not resist to browse that article. And as you can

tell, I could not help but sharing this lovely photos of some

of these beautiful bookstores ~ click their article to read 

about all 20 bookstores. God willing, I will be able to

see some in my lifetime *smiles smiles*

And let's hope that one day, Malaysian's will be able

to have such amazing bookstores too. 

We can certainly hope!

A gorgeous converted Dominican church 

gives the power of reading its due diligence.

 Selexyz Bookstore, Maastricht, Holland.

Stairs as reading and display areas, the wall-to-wall bookshelves, 

and a simple, clean design. Plural Bookshop, Bratislava, Slovakia

Modern design at its finest in a store full of art books. 

The Bookàbar Bookshop, Rome, Italy.

*Perhaps I shall visit this place soon*

This divine neo-gothic bookstore, opened in 1906, 

contains what we consider to be the ultimate 

definition of a stairway to heaven. 

Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal

Somehow, this bookstore manages to be both 

whimsical and slightly macabre all at once. 

Cook & Book, Brussels, Belgium

This majestic converted 1920s movie palace uses 

theatre boxes for reading rooms and draws 

thousands of tourists every year. 

Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires, Argentina 

This is a bookstore that seems to be made 

almost entirely out of books — down to its dramatic front doors. 

Livraria da Vila, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

For those who like their green spaces (and coffee shops) 

to invade their bookstores. 

Cafebreria El Pendulo, Mexico City, Mexico

For those browsers not as impressed by architecture 

as they are by the beauty of books upon books 

upon books in narrow hallways — not to 

mention a place to nap. Shakespeare & Company, Paris, France.

*Perhaps I shall visit this bookstore too*

We’re suckers for rounded ceilings and 

decorative lighting. Barter Books, Alnwick, UK.

*Read more about Barter Books here*

How could any kid (or adult, for that matter) 

resist those delicious reading nooks? 

Poplar Kid’s Republic, Beijing, China

"Keep Calm and..."

If you love the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters,

you will love this simple video of how the poster came 

about. Also if you are in the Northumberland area, UK,

do check out Barters Books a unique bookshop which

was originally a railway station {I would love to
visit this bookstore and find some incredible reads},
that uncovered this simple and special 
"Keep Calm and Carry On" poster that we

now love and enjoy! 

I have also listed below some of my favourite

"Keep Calm and ..." posters for your viewing pleasure:

Seen @ DW's pinterest collection

In silence

When we speak to God
and wait in silence, 

God hears us and answers...

and in our hearts we find the faith and hope

to go where He is calling us to go.

Seen @ DW's pinterest collection

Hollywood Stars as Disney Characters

I saw these amazing photos of Hollywood stars portraying 

Disney characters and I just had to share it.

All of them look so lovely. Enjoy!

*smiles smiles*

Jeff Bridges as the Beast and Penelope Cruz as Belle

Olivia Wilde as the Evil Queen and

Alec Baldwin as The Mirror

Drew Barrymore as Belle

Rachel Weisz as Snow White

Zac Efron as Prince Phillip and 

Vanessa Hudgens as Princess Aurora

Julianne Moore as Ariel and Michael Phelps as a Merman

Jennifer Lopez as Jasmine and Marc Anthony as Aladdin

Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella

Jessica Biel as Pocahontas

Beyonce as Alice, Lyle Lovett as the March Hare 

and Oliver Platt as the Mad Hatter

Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio 

and Abigial Breslin as Fira from Disney Fairies

Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan, Gisele Bündchen 

as Wendy and Tina Fey as Tinkerbell

All photos seen @ Listal

Steel Orchid

When B suggested to watch a movie last night, 

I thought something along the lines of New Year's Eve 

was in order, a chick-romance type hahaha movie 

for the mid-week. Instead when I read aloud the selections

I had for him, he was very happy and keen to watch "The Lady".

Seen @ The Iranian

"The Lady" is the bio epic Aung San Suu Kyi of  directed by Luc Besson, Starring Michelle Yeoh {a Malaysian}, David Thewlis and Jonathan Raggett. It showcases the life she led, the many difficult choices that she had to endure and of course her belief and fight for her country. 

The plot according to The Iranian is as follows: "THE LADY is an epic love story about how an extraordinary couple and family sacrifice their happiness at great human cost for a higher cause. This is the story of Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband, Michael Aris. Despite distance, long separations, and a dangerously hostile regime, their love endures until the very end. A story of devotion and human understanding set against a background of political turmoil which continues today. THE LADY also is the story of the peaceful quest of the woman who is at the core of Burma's democracy movement."

To be honest, the story of "The Lady" is so much more than that and I would recommend everyone to see it. 

I have to be honest before this movie caught my eye at the cinema, I never really thought or knew much about Aung San Suu Kyi. Sure I heard about her, but I never really knew her story nor about her sacrifices for what she believed in. Her story was moving and uplifting. She is indeed a legend ~ and yes I wept a couple of times. As for Michelle Yeoh, I think she did an awesome role portraying Aung San Suu Kyi ~ you deserve two pats on your back. 

Best scene, when she faces the guards who threaten to shoot her and continues walking on, defying them, looking ahead serenely. Amazing! Read more here and here if you would like to know more about her story. 

Watch it only if: This is just one movie you have to make time for. If you hate politics like I do, it's okay. The movie doesn't ramble on about it. It just shows you the power of one person who fights for her beliefs and dreams. I am certain that there are many people who believe this movie is about propaganda and the like but I choose to view it as it is. An uplifting and motivating story about a lady who believed and stood up for her country. 

Star rating for DW: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

She Watches: Dark Shadows (2012)

'Dark Shadows' according to IMDB is, "An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection." It's a little bit more than that but that aptly sums it up.


When I first saw the trailer for 'Dark Shadows' I was super excited. After all, I enjoyed most of Tim Burton's movies and they always had some magic vibe to it and some clever fun lines thrown in for good measure too. Plus there is Johnny Depp which is always a plus although he can be quite a strange one. 


Like B sometimes says... some trailers are better than the actual movie and sadly 'Dark Shadows' is one of them. The trailer made me quiver with anticipation, however yesterday when we went to watch 'Dark Shadows' with our friends, I felt that the movie did not quite meet my expectations. There were of course good parts, witty dialog, dark bits, funny bits and the like but mostly the story line and execution kinda wasn't as nice as I thought it would be {me being quite polite}. Oh well... there are always other Tim Burton movies that I would probably enjoy more *smiles* but sadly 'Dark Shadows' ain't one of them. 


NEW Watch it only if: You were a die hard Johnny Depp fan, Tim Burton fan {just so you can tell people you watched ALL of his films ever} or if you have nothing to do or all the other movies at the cinema were full.


NEW... Star rating from DW: 2.5 stars out of 5 stars for 'Dark Shadows'.

unplanned spontaneity!

I am not really a spontaneous sort of person. 

I usually premeditate on things too much and 

worry about the what ifs ALOT so much so 

that I don't usually do the things that I set out to do 

~ a habit which I intend to change slowly but surely.

Seen @ Postmentis

Anyways, I forgot a friend's birthday last week and was reminded by the birthday boy himself that I had missed his birthday. I of course felt crappy about it and managed to get a dinner together for the belated birthday boy. Dinner and chatter were good and it felt a little sad to close the night at 11pm... when suddenly a friend popped up and said that we should take a drive to Genting Highlands {read more about Genting here}. 

I thought no one would feel up to it since we are all not as young and fun and spontaneous as we used to be but lo and behold everyone was up for it. So at 12am, we found ourselves all dressed up for a night/early morning at Genting. We reached about 1am and I only stumbled into bed at about 6.15am. A simple night of gambling {its dangerous when you remember your way around the hotels and casinos} where I won 50 bucks and thereafter, a quick meal {I had black pepper chicken pie which I believe was the source of my stomach discomfort} and a hot coffee {mine was a cold hazelnut latte from CoffeeBean}.

Spontaneity. It's been ages since we did anything remotely crazy like this and most of us paid for it by waking up heaps late today *grins grins* but it was totally worth it. Thanks B for driving us up, you are super awesome but I am sure you knew that already, right, but in case you forget, you are super super awesome. Here's to more acts of unplanned spontaneity!!!