BOOK REVIEW #5 THE SECRET OF MAGIC

        What a lovely story coming from a black woman. I would never expected that the author was African American, given the way she wrote was so beautifully crafted and her English was so good, easily understand but yet the way of words flow through the ink was so sophisticated.

        This novel is about a young woman lawyer, which is not common during that time, let alone a black woman. It is during the time in the US when white people triumph over black people. It is gradually changing, the perspective it is. Black people were not discriminated against white anymore. But in Mississippi, it was still the same. The black was treated like slave. Though there are some successful black there, it was small community.

        When a black soldier named Joe Howard was murdered during his way back home to Mississippi, and his murder did not get justice in court, it broke his father. That’s when Regina was called by M.P. Calhoun, an author of a controversial, banned kid’s story book which Regina loved as a kid to help in the case, she was more than happy.

Little did she know, it was not easy as it seemed.

M.P. Calhoun was not like what she expected. The town as well. It didn’t take her a long time to discover the truth. It was not a mystery case. It was a case of racial conflicts.

The murderer was a white man, an influential man to be exact.

In Mississippi, when white man killed a black man, he still roamed free, bragging to his friends, that he did killed Joe Howard. To teach him a lesson, he said.

        As I go through the book, I kind of guessed, giving the whole situation, there’s no way Regina can pressed charged on the murderer. It was impossible. Knowing the fact, Joe Howard’s father take matter into his hands.

        The concern here, when a black man killed white man, and surrendered right after that, he might not survived.

        But Mr Willie Willie was a good man, his acquaintances mainly white people, tried their best to give him a fair trial. Despite him being black and all.

        This is not something common. There’s more in the connection between them. The white probably feel bad for what happened to Mr Willie Willie’s son, but giving the situation, they might be helpless in a way.

        At first, I was angry and feel wronged at the old man. The whole town knew the fact that Wynne Blodgett killed Joe Howard, without any sense of remorse. But nothing can be done. That’s because Blodgett owned half the town. And I can feel that Regina’s effort was hopeless. It’s getting into my mind. 

IMPOSSIBLE.

        But when Peach was killed in a fire set by Wynne, Mr Willie Willie knew he had to be stopped. There will be no more killing. In order to do that, Wynne need to be disposed, just like how Luther was in the Secret of Magic book. So it did. And the case was gone. There’s nothing can be done anyway. But it taught them a lesson. No matter how bad the white treat the black, they were still human. And human felt indebted toward each other. And as human, they respected each other’s existence. The white slowly accepted the black as fellow human.

It’s the change that matters.

BOOK REVIEW #4 THE SECRET OF HAPPY EVER AFTER

        I always thought that romance novel is all about mushy and cheesy words, full with inappropriate descriptions of steamy hot love. BOOOORIIINGGGGG!!!! 

        I didn’t even know how this book grabbed my attention. It was a reflex. Maybe I was too used in reading mystery, fantasy and psychothriller detective books that I think I need something different. I was curious about the synopsis at the back of the books. It said something about Michelle’s dark past. That’s why I chose it. I never think long, I just grabbed the book during Big Bad Wolf. You know how the book sale was like.

Utter madness, I thought.

        It was too crowded, I can’t think straight. I just grabbed books that I thought decent enough for a reading. Dear, I hit a jackpot.

So, what’s about the book that I was drawn into?

        Firstly, it is about friendship. Two different women from different walks of life met at a coffee shop and the instantly become best friends.

Fate. Just like that.

        Michelle was a sophisticated businesswoman who always thinks about profit and sales. Despite her cold and composed demeanor, lies a fragile woman who was once shrouded with traumatic dark past. She managed to conquer her trauma and became very successful and independent.

Love come when we least expected it.

        Anna, a selfless person who married a divorcee and managed to get three stepdaughters. Teenagers. Teenagers are rebellious, sarcastic, dramatic and inconsiderate. For someone unrelated, Anna really make an effort to put them together. She acted like their own mother, but what kind of woman, didn’t want a child of their own. Someone who is her flesh and blood.

It was a hearwarming story.

Things that intrigued me badly, other than their friendships are the way they describe bookstore. Here, in Malaysia, the bookstore looked like a premises, instead in the story, the bookstore was described of a place where community hang out, discussing their favourite books. There are a lot of sections, sofas and coffees. It was cosy and I can see myself lost myself to the books while I’m in there.

And book bouquet.

Such a fresh and thoughtful idea.

Books are fun. But not many realized it. In the story, they stated how magical our world was when we take a step back and imagined ourselves as the main character. 

It was beautiful and beyond words.

BOOK REVIEW #3 THAT BURNING SUMMER

Setting during the World War II, in which Britain receiving an invasion threat from the Germany. The people getting anxious day by day, getting worried over the fact that the dreaded day can come any moment.

I am a falcon. A peregrine, a traveller. Yet godlike. Alone in an azure obstraction. Air purer than danger. Like a heartbeat my engine throbs as I soar above a sea of cloud. Canvas and metal, these wings are my wings. A thought. A muscle. They lift, and tilt. We are one. A break in the whiteness. The sea below me glints. The horizon shifts. I see my prey. My heartbeats quickens. I move in for the kill. Not yet. Not yet. When they see me it will be too late. Now.

     Peggy, a British saved a Polish pilot named Henryk when he crashed down to her hometown. Seeing the broken state of the lad makes Peggy felt sorry toward him. So, Peggy sneaked food during mealtimes to feed him. They became friends, which later blossomed into love.

     Ernest, Peggy’s brother found out about the meeting between Peggy and Henryk. He is a very active boy, wanting to make a breakthrough so people in town will recognized him. He wanted to prove that he is a grown-up now and not a little boy anymore. So when he noticed that his sister is acting weird, he followed her. When he met Henryk for the first time, unlike his sister, he is suspicious towards Henryk. He accused Henryk as a spy from German coming to pry on their country.

Little did they know, there was a spy.

      From this novel, in my opinion, the main issue is LMF. LMF stands for Lack of Moral Fibre. This is a psychological casualty in the Royal Air Force in which the aircrew refused to fly without reason.  In the medical perspective, the men broke down due to stress during flying in battle resulting unfit to fly. The family background, genes and characters are put at fault. Henryk reached his ‘breaking point’ and showed battle trauma. There was a moment when he felt anxious as he recalled what had happened to him. From this, we can see that not only the people are suffering during war but soldiers also. The bad experiences while he was serving as pilot may trigger his battle trauma.

     Apart from that, the issue revolving in this novel is the role of Polish in the Battle of Britain. In this novel, the Nazi German invaded Poland and took the citizen as their hostages. The Polish pilots were promised spots in the army but they were treated nothing less like the war hostages. Only when they were needed, they were called. To make it worst, the German gave them the planes of poorest conditions. Later, it is said that Polish helped Britain to gain independence.

     In the last chapter, it is portrayed that everything back to normal. War has stopped. Ernest went to help their father who was being held captive as the human guinea pigs in the scabies experiments. Henryk stays in Britain, keeping himself close to Peggy, who had her own job and life. There’s nothing left for Henryk at Poland as all of his family member were sacrificed during the war. Henryk finally recovered from his trauma. The key to his LMF is due to him becoming hopeless and heartbroken due to his ill-fated family members. Now that he had Peggy by his side, he can now fly. 

BOOK REVIEW #2 TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME

“Grief is like a lump in your throat, choking you until you wished you were dead instead”

                                                                                         -Lemony Lemon-

This novel is a beautiful yet sad story, depicted on the grief of a family during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, London.

This story followed the life of a teenage girl named June coping with the loss of his uncle because of AIDS. June is a shy girl who lived in the suburban, a place which she thinks she didn’t fit in. She loved the medieval concept of living which she often portrayed when she played alone in the woods behind her school. The only person who understands her is Finn, her uncle.

Little did she know, her uncle is dying of AIDS. As one of his last wishes, he wanted to paint a portrait of June and her sister, Greta. The portrait became famous later on as Finn was a renowned artist. The masterpiece was called “Tell The Wolves I’m Home”.

From this novel, it can be seen that there are complicated relationship between Greta and June. Both of them used to be close sisters, but due to certain circumstances, they drifted apart. Realising this, Finn asked to draw a portrait of both her nieces, hoping that this can bring them back together. This is something Finn can relate to as he was in the same complicated relationship with her sister, June’s and Greta’s sister.

When Finn died, June find out about Toby, Finn’s special friend which was accused of giving the HIV germs to Finn by June’s family. June was told under strict order to never interact with Toby but they ended up being close friends anyway. From Toby, she find out everything about him and Finn, how Toby sacrificed for Finn, willingly taking the blame for something he didn’t do.

It will be a nice and touching love story, ignoring the ‘gayness’ involved. It is revolting but just thinks of best buddies living together, and you’ll be fine.

During the 1980s, when people were still ignorant about AIDS, the people who contracted with the disease suffer miserably. With no hope of getting better, they were treated as outcasts. The way the public reacted, you might think the disease is spread just by saying ‘AIDS’ out loud. It is as if the word is cursed. The people also perceived the diseases wrongly. They might think that the germs might get them if they were near with the patients, which is not the case. HIV can only be transmitted by blood transfusion, from mother to child during childbirth and breastfeeding, and also sexual intercourse. As long as there is no fluid involved, you were safe from the disease.

There.

This novel taught us how family matters the most, in the end of the day.

BLABBERING BLAST #3

self-appointed vigilantes...
saying that they are the ones who stand up for others when no one does...
but the truth is, they are just hypocrites hiding their own agendas behind all the so-called claim of justice...
and the ones who are against u, they are as good as the damned..
if u are clever, u will sense it...
if not, u are just like everybody else...
succumbing to their words when there's nothing but deceit...
so, to these vigilantes, you lead nothing but a pathetic life...
being spiteful to others who are able to get something u longed for, it is an act of jealousy...
not to mention, there's a sense of pride lingering in your heart...
because u think no  one will be able to defeat u...
u are so full of yourselves, it is what will lead to your downfall...
don't worry, i'll be here to witness your doom...

till then, just enjoy what u are doing, coz it will not last long...
_LemonyLemon_

I MISS THEM A LOT!!!

As Salam...

It's been a week since I started the new semester in my studies. And I must say, it was no joke.

It's only the first week but we already been bombarded with the dreaded final year project, early assignment and the most boring lectures ever!!!

In one sentence, I can conclude that this is one HECTIC week!
In the Friday night, usually I will rest and relax by watching movies since it is weekend. However, instead of relaxing, I was actually finishing my assignment. Surprising, eh?
If my parents knew this, I am pretty sure that they will cry out of relief. Their daughter has finally giving up procrastination and going to focus on one thing that she’s been neglecting; her studies.
Actually, it is not like I hate studies. It is just my mind like to wander around, my body tend to do unnecessary things and my heart is into K-POP more than anything.

Haha.

So, what I am going to tell you is…

*drum roll*

It is about the BEST dad ever, which is mine!!

Mohamad Zabidi Hashim.

Don’t get me wrong. I love both my parents equally. It is just I decided to write about my father instead of my mother.

My father is always been my idol. He likes to talk a lot, usually on his experience in life. He told us everything that he learnt so that we can learn how the world works. He always has important moral values in each story that he told us. Sometimes, I just listen to him, although he just repeated the same one that he already told us before. It is okay then. Since he repeated again and again, those words will be carved in our mind and heart.

He works in business area, so he knew people well. Sometimes, he will tell us about the people he works with. So that, we can absorb something good and leave the bad things.

Once he said, he didn’t want anything from us. Both of my parents just wished that their children will study hard enough in order to secure brighter future. Hence, they didn’t have to worry about us anymore.

Here comes the story.

I called my father just now, telling him everything about the hardship that I had to face on the first week. You know what he did.

He said, it is how the life is. Since I am in the third year of studies, it is a given that the studies are getting harder and harder. And since I am getting older, I should man up and face everything like a real man.

Well, I was exaggerating. He didn’t say it like the one above but you can say, I sum it up real well. Hohoho. Except for the fact that I am a girl.

It is kind of relieved cause when he said it while laughing. The stress resulting from the pile of work is actually flied away.

He also asks about the money that I had left. Since the first year of studies, I stop asking money since I got scholarship. Don’t ask me how I got it, as I am also baffled about it. So, he didn’t have to worry about me, and instead he can focus on my other siblings.

Heck, due to some failure in money management, I was broke. Completely broke. He kind of realised this as he told me to ask for my money if I don’t have enough. And I must say, he nailed it right on the head, or shall I say, purse.

To tell you the truth, I am quite embarrassed to ask money from my parents. They had it enough with all my siblings furthering their studies; I just don’t want to burden them more. If I was desperate enough, I will ask them for money but I will repay them back as soon as my scholarship is in. Huhu.

So, let’s say that I am blessed and thankful because I have them both as my parents. I couldn’t ask for more. They are the best parents ever.

p/s: I’ll write about my mom later. She is one of the scariest mom ever (only if you get in her bad side) but she is so kind and our financial solution if we want anything that’s quite expensive. Hardy-har-har.

FINAL YEAR PROJECT!!!

Assalam...

The new semester just starting and after a few days, I can say that I am making a progress since I have not yet sleeping in the class during lecture. FYI, I always sleep during class in the last semester. And after suffering from heartbroken due to the nasty final examination result, I made my mind not to play around ANYMORE and focus on more important things in my life. Last semester, is the worst semester ever as people tried to mess my life. They spit lies to people without knowing the truth behind it.

This is my life and I will lead it on my own. I will not let others to trampled on me anymore, acting like they are mighty and much better than me. I'll let them know, I'm no rubbish although they treated like I'm one. I'll prove to them

So, finally I'm in the third year of my studies and it is a given for us, students to start our own final year project in the second semester. After giving it a deep thought, I finally decided to take "Microbial BOD Sensor In Wastewater Analysis" as my final year project. That's what I get and I'm going to proceed it. Then today we finally get to know our supervisor. Just my luck, I got a foreigner lecturer as my supervisor. It might be hard due to the language barrier. But it is not something that I can't handle. Still, it is quite annoying as others kept on making fun of me due to the fact of the supervisor is a Bangladeshi. I can accept it, just why they cant?

It is acceptable but as they keep on making fun, it annoyed the hell out of me. I chose the title because I like it and because I can see the potential and the future. Why people tend to make it into a big deal as the one that will put it behind the back is me?

I'll prove to them I can pull this off. Just you wait...