Quirks and Qualms

Consider this as cheating coz it's meant to be done on Facebook. Rather than deserting the blog with an utter lack of posted material, I'm doing it here. Besides, I love tags!

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you're supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 (!) people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I stalled for a few minutes thinking of what I should write about as the numero uno point. The diagnosis is I'm helplessly indecisive...

2. ...and an immense writer's block that I seem to be having every time I want to write about something. Somehow, the statement is a bit of an oxymoron.

3. I'm a medic who fails to fall in love with Strand 2. Strand 1 stuff ain't much better either...

4. I'll always feel great relief after doing laundry. It feels like something gargantuan has decided to leave its space, creating a huge void to be filled in. With what, I dunno.

5. I heart chips of the salt and vinegar variant. Yeah, it's a flavour that you can't get back home although I must not discount the possibility of it being made available now. If not, I don't know where and how I can get my supply of it for the four months of summer break.

6. I like travelling a lot. The irony is, I haven't properly canvassed the areas and attractions in my current whereabouts. 

7. I used to collect stamps. I'd make a beeline at a local post office to get special stamps (usually in commemoration of some events) and spent close to RM10 on each occasion. I even dragged my parents to the Stamp Week in KL a little while ago. The hobby sort of died out after my stamp collection got 'drowned' in a flash flood...

8. I liked to draw too. My staple subjects were buildings and scenes at a bus station...

9. ... which is why I used to aspire to become an architect. Other previous ambitions were to become an ustaz, a teacher, and an astronomer.

10. And I used to like express buses so much. A trip to KL was something I really treasured and I often begged to sit by the window so that I could see as many buses as I wish. I even jotted down their names despite the obvious redundancy. Then, once I was home, I'd draw them. 

11. My current indulgence is writing. But as mentioned before, the writing block is almost insurmountable. Hence my inability to continue writing my sequel.

12. My other worldly sin is shopping. I consider my style as drab. Coz I've never been too bothered about it. I chase the brands not the style. Hence my shabbiness.

13. My PBL mates love my shoes collection! I don't know whether they're really honest about it though... 

14. I flinch at the notion of watching certain movies. Some of them are obviously B-grade while others are just pretentious. I dislike most rom-coms too for their abject shallowness. Grading a movie is a very subjective field so I don't blame other people to watch them. And contrary to popular belief, I don't ONLY watch movies that are awards-approved. 

15. I like to travel in a city transit system. Which explains why I can be so adept in finding a station to get to a specific location. I like it too when it passes through an urban wasteland.

16. I hate reading journals. I'll normally skip to the discussion part without bothering the method and results of the study. I'll be most grateful if the paper includes an abstract. Makes life a hell lot easier.

17. I listen to mainstream music most of the time. But there's a nascent interest in indie movement which explains why I'm starting to listen to TV on the Radio, Kings of Leon, Yuna (go Malaysia!) and the likes. I still prefer radio friendly tunes though. I particularly love Norah, Sheryl, Alanis, and Kelly. And Siti despite her attempt to relegate herself to an unlovable position.

18. It's just 18?Gah! Oh, I didn't get my driving license at 18. I waited for two years before going to driving classes. Didn't particularly enjoy it though. Condescending instructors, early classes, and ridiculous lessons (who the hell uses the parking method taught at the school??). I have now forgotten how to drive after a few months of not getting behind the wheels.  

19. I find it extremely difficult to please myself. Which is why I wasn't too happy with the experience early this week.

20. I also suffer from a chronic self esteem problem. Everyone around me is always good at something they're doing but I'll never find a niche that I can proudly claim that it belongs to me. Ever.

21. I am so attached to my previous alma mater. It's indescribable but love is blind after all.

22. I'm a serious procrastinator. I've got a journal to read, an email to reply, and additional reading to be done but I'm not doing any of it yet. There goes another weekend...

23. I'll always check my email first thing when I wake up. 

24. I'm beginning to warm to Pidah's idea of friendship. I hate it but I can't help but to embrace it. 

25. There's nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than doing this tag. LOL!

Now comes the tricky part. I'm supposed to tag 25 people but my blog roll isn't that arrayed. So, I'm gonna cheat yet again. I'm tagging:

Afiq, Farah, Warwern, Jal, Wan, Fiqry, Lyla, Yatyat, Pidah, Anwar, Hajar, Ede, Jo Tan, Fizarani, Aliaa (good luck in writing on Tumblr), Faiz Ezwan Shah, Ateqs, Naqiu, and Oggy. And you and you too. 

Bibliophilic Me...

It's rather unfortunate of me to believe that Popular bookstore in Seremban is a better one than its rival, MPH. Certain that I wouldn't find the books that I have always wanted at MPH, I ventured to Popular instead. I know I won't regret purchasing Brainwash : The Secret History Of Mind Control (I heart macabre stuff. And it's a non-fiction!). If there's any, it would be the fact that I could not buy the four books which are high in the list of my must-haves. All of them were found at MPH and the discovery was too late for I had already procured the aforementioned book. A mission I would love to see accomplished: to come back with money to buy them.

Hajar @ Jojo Binx wanted to know which books made it to my top 5 of all time favourites, the books that I will reread for any number of times without ever getting bored. Here they are... (in no particular order)



1. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

This novel revolves around the lives of three friends who are - in the typical American label - special in every way. They are raised solely on the purpose of providing organs for normal people. Yes, this a story of clones. Fear not, it is not ridden with scientific mambo jumbo nor it is too preachy in its conviction. Although one might find the flow tad too draggy, the ending, I believe is guaranteed to leave a profound and lingering impact on the readers. I still felt the hangover of the powerful (and devastating) effect of the novel long after I've finished reading it.

2. We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver

Before reading this novel, make sure you have a dictionary handy. Verbose but eloquently told, it tells the story of a mother recuperating from the tragedy called Thursday. Her son killed eleven people on the eve of his sixteenth birthday. To make sense of her son's motivation to do such deed, she started a tedious correspondence with her estranged husband, dissecting the life and lies in the family prior to Thursday. Engaging, the novel triumphs in its mission to convey the message that evil is born, not built. What unnerves me is that I share so many common traits as the mother. Somehow, I think that this is a parental guidance book disguising as a clever fiction. It'll make those who want to start a family to think twice before making the leap...

3. Ordinary People - Judith Guest

I have raved about it in my previous post. I have little doubt that this novel will become a classic in the nearest future. An inexplicably aloof mother, a battling father and a recovering son make up a seemingly perfect family. A disaster in the recent past looms over the family, threatening to bring them under. It is wittily written and endearing right to the end. I still sympathise Conrad, the little brother who was once shadowed by his brother as he struggles to rebuild his life after the unexpected demise of the older brother and his botched suicide attempt. The novel offers more than an insight into a family shaken by a tragedy. It is a great tale of - as the title suggests - ordinary people.

4. Atonement - Ian McEwan

I earnestly think that the novel is a shade better than the movie. A simple lie, in many ways unexpected and unforeseen especially by the teller, led to the destruction of three lives. Heart wrenching and almost epic in its telling, this novel deserves the spot in the Time Top 100 novels of the century. The twist at the end increases its value.

5. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling

I know Hajar doesn't like the series but she's fully aware that the release of the highly anticipated novel fell on the same day as her birthday. To me, this is more than apt ending to the super popular series. It ties up all the loose ends, answers all questions convincingly, and above all, makes the whole idea of good trumping evil believable. It transcends the scope of a children book what with its darker tone and clever storyline. Heh, it also proves that Snape is a good guy through and through. The epilogue might appear cheesy but for fans like me, it is the best way to end the tale.

I have 5 other notable mentions: I Am Muslim - Dina Zaman, Kill The Messenger - Tami Hoag, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling, Out - Natsuo Kirino, and Freedomland - Richard Price.