A Little Note

Wanting to update the blog even slightly more regularly in my final semester, with the Final Professional Exams (Part 2) coming up is, to put it mildly, hubris.

I am sorry for the absence of posts for the past few months. Clinical posting after clinical posting, I find myself too tired or hot by the end of the day to even engage in the normal acts of diary-writing, much less reviewing of books. My exams are in less than 30 days. And then graduation. And everything else that follows after graduation, which thankfully will include a rather long break before getting a post for a job.

All that said, I can't wait until I can begin reviewing books more regularly again.

For those out there who believe in the power of prayer, do pray that I pass the exams. With or without flying colours is not a concern for me. I just want a definite pass, thank you. ^^

If you're reading this, thanks for spending some minutes here. I'll be back in a month or so with reviews of books, services and pictures!


Edit on October 2nd 2015: I did indeed pass the exams without much incident! I am now officially NOT an undergrad student, which feels very weird, in a liberating but daunting manner- I guess everyone feels this way at this particular stage in their lives. However, I've been lazing around for the better part of 2 months. I have been reading, but not as much as I would hope to, although my Goodreads challenge has been completed by now. Yay! :)

Hello! Greetings! Was I Missed?

To all you readers (yes, all 2 of you) I am SO SORRY for being MIA. 

My final semester of medical school (let that sink in: Final. Semester. Medical. School.) is well on its way, and I started with the most difficult posting which is Internal Medicine- only second to being as busy as Obstetrics & Gynaecology, but with 500 times the reading material. It's been a blast with new group mates, and I am way more enthused about the posting than last semester so hurrah! 

I also met a very nice gentleman in his golden years last week, who writes poetry. I was in charge of his bed, and he's such a darling. He's writing a poem about me (and he says it's encouraging)! While I am unbound by medicolegal issues as a mere student, I am pretty excited about fostering good relationships with my patients. Some of my friends told me not to get too attached to patients, but that's not how I work. Probably will be, once I get too busy to listen to patients' life stories, but now not so much.

Probably the reason why I don't want to specialize in fields with higher mortality *cough* Onco! *cough*

Anyway, he's inspired me to write again. And by that I mean in the blog.

I HAVE been reading. In the month of March, I finished 14 books. For April, I have so far finished 7 books, all of which do not exceed 400 pages and some of which are graphic novels. My aim in the coming months until two weeks before my final exams is to continue reading, but only lighter material that does not require days of reading for immersion (i.e. books with 400+ pages), if I can help it.

And I'm glad to say my favourite book so far this year has got to be:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline!

This is one of the books and part of my birthday package from my boyfriend, And it is AMAZING. I can't wait for Armada by Ernest Cline, his next standalone book coming out later this year!

I love this book to pieces! I am so elated to have it in hardcover; it's such a beautiful book, filled with nerdy goodness.

As for reviews, I'm sorry I have been way delayed with them. I do not dare to promise any set amount of reviews in the coming months but I will try to make more time after this, at least for mini reviews. It's about consistency after all. ;)

I wish all of you great times ahead no matter what you do, and until then, keep on reading!

Fulfilling Friday: Semester Break!

Fulfilling Friday is a feature where I talk about the happenings of the week, focusing on the positives, and plan for the upcoming days- on a Friday, of course!

And this has been quite a week.

The Passing

It is the first week of a three-week semester break, in which I faced the death of a relative, which, although expected- due to her advanced stage of cancer- was still quite a blow to the family. It doesn't help that she's barely 50 years old, which is... really young. Almost my mother's age.

Death drives home the ephemeral state of life, and the permanence of non-existence. It grounds the fact that we will all cease to exist one day- if you still believe in the Big Bang theory, and the theory of Creationism. It drove me to a mini-crisis of existentialism for a day or two, which I fended off with some more reading and reviewing and good ol' sleeping.

We will always miss her and continue to remember her in our fondest memories.

The TBR Pile(s)

I am rather excited for this month's TBR- or was, before the above-mentioned event came to pass. Nevertheless, I will post my TBR pile for this month of March and strike through those I have already read by the time this post is finished. Bear in mind I will probably read more, if things go my way.

1. The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill - IN PROGRESS
2. This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl - IN PROGRESS
3. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - IN PROGRESS
6. Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #3) by Laini Taylor - IN PROGRESS
7. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
8. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - IN PROGRESS
9. The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan
10. Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch
11. Apprentice (The Black Mage #2) by Rachel E. Carter
12. DIAgnosis2 [Bahasa Melayu book] by various authors

Yes, I have the tendency to read multiple books at once. I have no idea why this works for me and why it does not get confusing, because it really doesn't. In this case it really is necessary, because two of the books in progress are really very slow reads for me and I need to punctuate the rather humdrum pace by interspersing it with more face-paced reads. They are my rewards for finishing a certain chapter of a slower book.

Of course, my other TBR pile- the TO BE REVIEWED pile- is stacking up like nobody's business. 

Nobody's business but mine.

I would be more sad about it, if I'm not so excited. It's rather unbelievable how excited one can be about things that are not supposed to be exciting when one has nothing else to worry about.

Plans

This weekend will be filled with reading and reviewing, of course. I am also finishing up an actual letter to send to my high school friend (currently in Canada) and will be sending that next week- whenever I will be headed back a bit in the southerly direction.

There is a Sushi King bonanza next week (all sushi plates at RM 3 each!) which I will definitely splurge on. And I plan to watch at least two movies in the cinema, since I haven't watched a movie in the cinema since the last installment of The Hobbit.

I think I better start planning on some revision and cleaning up too, for the rest of the break.

Last but not least, try to restrict the impulse to keep ordering books online- for which a post is due within the next two weeks.

What have you fulfilled this week? :)

Hiatus #1 Has Ended!

And...

I passed! \o/

The update took so long because I was so busy paying back my lost hours of sleep for almost the entire duration of the past two days. Nothing quite like a great spell of hibernation~

Now that that is done, a huge sigh of relief, followed by more reading and reviewing to come soon.

Currently reading: Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor.

ONE MORE DAY

TO FREEDOM.
Hopefully. Let's pray I pass.

All I have to do is make the last mad 3.5-hour dash and read as much as I could.

Oh lord.

Can't wait to read more books and write out my thoughts on them- and the ones I've read since the end of my last review. Also, to share my most recent book hauls- my first adventure into ordering books online. Which is funny, because I only started ordering books for my self after I got my boyfriend, a not-quite-reader, to order some for me on my birthday.

Soon, very soon...

26th Orbit Around the Sun

Hello!

It's my birthday. Many things occurred on this day.

I know I don't sound too enthused. Please come back in a week an indeterminate period of time when this post has been updated well, with pictures.

Okay. :)

Reb and the Big Bad Wolf Book Sales

It would be unfair of me to leave this blog empty for so long this month, even with major exams coming up. It is, after all, my birthday month. Cue non-review posts!

This post will be about The Big Bad Wolf Book Sales, which are humongous bargain book sales that take place in Malaysia. It is run by Mr Big Bad Wolf, affectionately called the Wolf for short. Okay, it is actually run by his minions (or more accurately the owners of the wonderful BookXcess and their minions) but psh. Technicalities.

Meet my main dealer- of books, that is.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my favourite sale.
Of all time.

No competition.

If you're currently residing in Malaysia (or even Singapore) and haven't been living too far from civilization, you have most probably heard of the sales. If you're also a bibliophile who lives rather close by, chances are this is also your favourite sale of all time. If not, it's fine- you still have time to discover them at the end of this year, and hopefully many years to come!

The main sale happens for around a week or two annually since 2009. It is a smorgasbord of books, in a venue large enough to house up to millions of tomes, hungry crowds of bibliophiles who are attracted to them like moths to a candle on a dark night, and other buyers not quite so obsessed. There is space even for food and beverage stalls, charming knick-knacks and merchandise, the odd vehicle or two (or five)- plus countless other things. Of course, it didn't start with millions of books in 2009 but that is not relevant now.