久违

 If blogger had not send me a reminder that this blog will be deleted if I do not migrate to the google platform. This will have been long forgotten...Not that I have given up on this, but life has taken me to many different paths and long journeys.  It is been long while, I am typing this on the eve of Thanksgiving  2023 in USA.  Now a tad wiser, with my hair dyed white by the passage of time, growing old with Windy Bleu has been fun.  Never would I imagined that I will be living and working overseas, twice.  We have boston terrier now, he is the kid in the family, thoroughly loved by both of us 

"Map of Bones", James Rollins

"Seek, and you shall find." Matthew 7:7

Pierce, a soldier by profession, turned PhD researcher. He was by no mean just any researcher. He belonged to a group of coveted operational professional known only by few in the US government. This group is known only as "Sigma" force to the very few who knew of their existence. Sigma was requested by the Vatican to assist in a investigation of massacred of the church goers in Germany. It seems that these people died of an electrocution from within their body. To make things worst, they are the ones who partake the eating of the Eucharistic bread. Those who did not partake in the ceremony, too died, but by gun shots from the perpetrators. It was a stage robbery, but strangely, they only took the relic, "The bones of Magi" from the church, leaving the gold box that housed the bones. The Magi bones did not turn out to be what is was supposed to be. But rather it is a form of gold in white power form, of what was termed as m-stated gold. It turns out that, throughout history many has made use of these material, from Alexander the great, the churches of the old and many more to create the many phenomenon in their times.

This novel bears the same genre with that of the "Da Vinci code". But this has a lot more actions as compared. It is spun based on partial historic events and powered up with high tech equipment. The twist of the plot is fairly straight forward, no need to think hard who are the bad guys or the good guys. You will like it if you like "Da vinci code - Dan Brown", "Seven Ancient Wonders - Matthew Reilly".

"The Secret Life of Bees", Sue Monk Kidd

"There is nothing perfect," August said from the door way. "There is only life"

Lily, a fourteen year old girl living in a small town with her father. They own a peach farm. Lily herself was brought up by her nanny, Rosaleen. Lily's mother died since she was four. A tragic incident that happened right before little Lily's eyes. However, this incident drew a blank in her memory. The story begins when Rosaleen, a black women who tried to register for voter's right in the town center. Rosaleen got into trouble with the white men in town with her stubbornness and fueling it was the white men's anger was a coloured biasness towards coloured being. She got thrown in jail, and Lily after a fall out with her dad, broke Rosaleen out of jail and together walked out of the town where she grew up. Their only destination was Tiburon, a town name on a piece of label stuck on a black Madonna doll left behind by her mother. As the pair makes their journey, Lily started her own journey of self discovery of life, and of her mothers.

In Tiburon, they met the calendar sisters, a family of bee keepers. August, the eldest, with June and May. It turns out, Lily's mother kept the label for a good reason. She was link closely to August. She had grown up with August and they remain closely knitted till the day she died. August kept bees and sold honey to sustain the family. Through the numerous bee keeping tasks, Lily self discovery progress, her attitude toward life changes and her tied with her mother strengthen.

The story has a lovely ending. This is a nice change from the fast moving novel I have been going through. It is also a story that my lovely will like. I read many alike from her bookshelf (most of them still unread by her!)

The Historian, a novel

Elizbeth Kostova wrote the "The Historian, A novel". It begins with a girl who found a book that her father has kept high up in his study's book shelf. A blank book with a wooden cutting of a dragon sandwiched in it. This was the book that lead her father in his younger days a journey across many countries to search for the tomb of Dracula. It is also through his journey, he discovered the true nature and intention of the book. This book brought him the love of his life and a daughter. But it is also thorough the book that the family was broken up and the girl grew up without a mother.

I like the book, it has ample history background to sustain the claim of reality and enough of the Dracula myth to keep the story exciting. It is very much like the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Mixing facets of history with fiction, spining a tale where the reader will keep reading. I am quite drawn to such genre. The first was Da Vinci Code, then it was the The Shadow of the Wind, next was the Rule of Four. Then I discovered The Historian. I am sure if you like any of the above title, you will enjoy The Historian.

投票

I guess it is a responsibility of a citizen that we have seldom exercise. Another one will be coming soon. Dunno if i have a chance to vote again. Likey no, I am in one of the prime GRC so should be walk over lor. Yes! another holiday for me. rumour have been flying around on who's who be standing for what area. I guess the most anticipated one will be the release of new candidates by PM himself. This elections will be interesting, rumour also has it that one of the thirty-somethings candidate will be the next PM. hmmm i guess we will just have to wait and see lor.

Three wakies to go...

忙碌的一天

Yesterday was a busy but wonderful day. A&A, E&S, CH and NH came over to my house. Remember two week ago we were have a munching on the cake that A has made, we were chatting about going to get A to teach us bake cakes. I figured since i need one for lovely's Bday why dun i just baked one and surprise her :), so i suggested that we have the cake making session in my house. They readily agree :) And arrangement was made for the session but never make known my real intention to lovely except saying they are visiting our house. *hehehehe*

A&A came with lotsa stuff even an oven so that we can make as many as possible. Wow he has got load of interesting stuff, four type of flour, three type of sugar, kitchen weighting machine etc. So E and myself started our cake making lesson with A. While we are slogging away in the kitchen, the rest of the gang plonked onto my purple sofa and were having fun with my xbox. They were playing the spongebob game - "camera, lights and action". Judging from the amount of laugher coming through to the kitchen, they are certainly having fun.

Apart from baking i got AC on MSN video chat. I have been MSNing him and making arrangement with him lately coz he volunteered to ferry my lovely to the big factory outlet for shopping while she is there. i think he probably missed us quite a bit. So got him on, showed him around getting him to see the fun we are having. Of coz we won't miss teasing him and CC, the only other colleague with him for the one year outstation. Glad he stay on coz at his time was one in the morning!

It was really a fun day for me, I have not really be with them for a long while. For the last couple of months, i was out of the office most of the time. Have not been with them for lunches or dinners. They (incl AC) have been my nice colleagues and friends since i joined the company about five plus years ago. I could still remember then the blur looks when we were introduced to each other by our senior then...and now we are the senior bring the 菜鸟 around. Time has come and went. Each of them has a piece of their place in the workplace but here we are just all buddy chummming together, messing around. The whole session ended at about 0200 hrs last nice, I guess everyone was quite zonked out.

CH and A, the choya is still here...we were to clear it out

Oh ya AC, we are doing a election poll pool. Per date is 5 buck, winner takes all, interested?

and it is four more wakies to go...

Counting down

Seven more wakies to go...

Finish with the clothes!

You can never imagine how many clothing can two person go through in a week. Phew finally, washed them, folded them and stored them. hmmm wonder how easier it will be if we do not need clothing...hahaha. But it will mean the > 3m paintballs i got last Friday will definitely leave a longer mark than now. And the men will not be so aerodynamic especially...but hey aren't you glad that we are all clothed. And yes not fogetting my darling needs numerous layering of her clothes where she is now, three degree without wind chill, right lovely :) Love ya.

eight more wakies to go!

外婆桥

风儿吹着树影摇
摇啊摇到外婆桥
想着我的好宝宝
亲爱的你是不是已睡着
月儿高高窗前照
想你的心飘呀飘
飘进你的梦里
瞧瞧姑娘想着她的花桥
我要带你到天涯海角
拜访春天向它说声早
管它漫漫长路路迢迢
爱的路上有我陪你跑
走过秋天向它问声好
就算漫漫长路路迢迢
你说好不好
雁儿飞过柳树梢
相思总是催人老
花儿含羞在偷笑
心事不说有谁会知道
心事不说有谁会知道

- 任贤齐

Nine more wakies to go...