Hauling Sunday XXX

Ouf, this week was busy and tiring! I fell behind early this week and never managed to catch up. Hopefully, I'll be able to do so this week-end... although so far, it doesn't seem so ^_^; Looks like I'm in a nostalgic phase... I watched some anime and read some manga this morning. Then, this evening, I watched some old TVB series and have been looking for the themesongs. Jeez, it's then that I realize how much time has gone by ^_^; I grew up with the 1980s and 1990s TVB series... some of the actors on whom I used to crush are turning 40!!! Although, you can't really tell LOL.

Julian Cheung Chi Lam

Louis Koo Tin Lok

Left pictures were taken in the 90s and right, 2011. LOL, I guess they both lost baby fat, but seriously, they don't look 40 :P Then again, Andy Lau, Tony Leung and company are 50... Hmmm LOL.

All right, enough of actors :) What you're interested in is what books I bought this week :P So here they are:

Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr - My enthusiasm for this series has been renewed :) I'm not sure about the heroine in this book tough, but I'm crossing my fingers :)

The Perfect Scandal by Delilah Marvelle - Still haven't read her previous book... still, I'm supporting the author because she's an awesome gal :P

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - I've been eying this book for a while now, because I read lots of good stuff on this book :) However, I was waiting for the mass market release... and I did!! LOL.

Outside In by Maria V. Snyder - I loved the Study books :P Still having read Inside Out, but so what? LOL. I have faith in Ms Snyder. Plus, they've been getting a good buzz :)

Everyone Loves a Hero by Marie Force - I want to read something contemporary :P

License to Ensorcell by Katharine Kerr - Always on the look out for interesting books :) In this one, the heroine is a psychic... and I'm in withdrawal, since there doesn't seem to be a FBI SCU book this year :(

So 6 books this week. Not too little, but not too much either :P By the way, while I haven't been blogging much, I am reading :) and before I purchased these books, I was down to 4 books bought in 2011 and unread. Not bad no? :) Of course, I should read a bit more from my TBR pile... but oh well :P

What about you? Bought any good books? :P

No TBR Day

Yep, I won't be making the TBR challenge again this month. That's twice this year :( Boooo! But then, I noticed that not many made it this month, so it made me feel better :)

I'll try to have a review up sometimes later this week... For the meantime, lots of miscellaneous stuff. So bear with me :D

I found 5$ this morning, so that made my day LOL :) Then, it went downhill from there... It's been very busy at work lately. I mean, there's just me doing experiments and I'm making up for the days I missed. The worst is that one part of the experiment is no longer working. So we've been stalled and now have to work on troubleshooting the problem. I hate when something which was working stops working :( It's just incredibly annoying :( My boss keeps asking Why? Why? Why? and all I have to say is: I don't know. I thought maybe it was me - the results been different since I started doing it, but he said no. That's good in a way. I just hope he doesn't ask me in this week-end to work it out :( So I'm crossing my fingers.

Aside from books, one of my passions used to be TVB series. I've only started watching American series in the past few years... before, I used to watch tv exclusively in Vietnamese, devouring TVB series. TVB series are TV series made in Hong Kong. Those series are extremely popular with the Asian community, being dubbed in Viet, Cambodgian, Thai, etc. I used to go to the rental store every week to rent these series. Of course, nowadays, I just watch them online ^_^; I have to admit that my interest has waned a little bit in the past few years... in part because I've been reading a lot more, but also because TVB stopped making my favorite kind of series: kung fu series T_T I still enjoy watching family drama, cops series and etc., but they don't grab me the way kung fu series used to :(

October to December is TVB's anniversary period. They usually go all out during this period, broadcasting big budgets series. One of them has piqued my interest: Beyond the Realm of Conscience. You can watch the opening credit below:

What do you think? Looks great no? I mean, the costumes are soooo gorgeous. The color they used is so vibrant! I love the hair even though they're a bit exaggerated :D So happy the series takes place in the Tang dynasty and not the Manchurian period, that way we get much nice costumes :D Unfortunately, it's not a kung fu series, more like palace intrigues... So women fighting each other ^_^; Seriously, women can be soooo scary at time! Still, I'm looking forward to it and the series has a great cast :D Definitively looking forward to see Tavia Yeung's performance (she's the one with the scary eyes which I love by the way :P). The series has only started this week, but there's a lot of talks about Tavia's role being a breakthrough performance and seems like she has a real shot for the TVB awards. Charmaine Sheh is the other "lead" actress... Her role will be the usual goody-two-shoes, nothing special really... but at least, Charmaine usually delivers. Lots of good veterans as well in this series... the only disappointing factor in my opinion is not enough actors LOL :P Ah well. Now, I either have to wait for the version with English subtitles to come out or the Viet version. Sigh. The other TVB anniversary series is Born Rich, a family/business drama. Those are usually quite good and TVB learned from its mistake and the series is only 40 episodes long. Not 80 like Gem of Life ^_^; I'll probably end up watching this as well, because I don't have anything better to do LOL :) but also the series has a great cast, again lots of veterans, and I ended up enjoying the opening quite a lot as well :D

Yesterday, I bought some books. Please explain this to me... So while I was in California, I forgot to buy Mischief in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon. I know, stupid, especially since I saw it everywhere!! For some reasons, I thought I bought it already ^_^; Now, if you've followed my blog or Kristie's, you'll know that Dorchester books are actually hard to find ^_^; I don't know what the problem is... I'm guessing it has something to do with Dorchester's distribution contract with Chapters/Indigo - Canada's biggest bookstore chain (think Barnes & Noble) or something. Chapters simply does not seem to stock a lot of the Dorchester books in-store. Oh, they're available to order online, but if you browse through the bookstores, not there. Or if they get it, it'll be 1 or 2 months after the release date! Sliding Home by Kate Angell came out in September 9 and I only saw them at the bookstore on October 2nd (of course, it had to be just after I ordered them online). The only book in the past couple of months from Dorchester that I've seen making it to the bookstore on time was The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu. I mean, this is really annoying. So yeah, Mischief in Mudbug? Hasn't made it to the bookstore yet and I doubt it will... (I mean, Trouble in Mudbug hasn't). But surprise, surprise... guess where I found it? At the hospital gift shop. Now, that's just wrong. Chapters can't seem to stock it, but hospital gift shop does?!?! I know that Ames Wal-Mart does receive the Dorchester books, but hey, we're talking Wal-Mart here. They have everything nowadays... But the hospital gift shop?!?!? Seriously?!?! That's just weird and wrong. Of course, Mischief in Mudbug was not the only book I bought. I also stopped by Coles (also part of Chapters/Indigo) - you know, the bookstore that shelves the books as soon as they receive it :P How do I know they've received the books? Basically, I stalked their online indicator. As soon the website shows that they've got the books in store, I give them a call and ask the clerk to put a copy aside for me and go pick it up after work. Lately, I've been a good girl... Of course, it might be explained by my recent haul from the States... but really, I've been a good girl. Proof is, I've been lusting after Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole & Gena Showalter, but I didn't buy as soon as it came out. Instead, I waited till other new books were released so I could use my coupons :) I have 2 "5$ off if you buy 35$," 1 "10$ off i you buy 40$," and 2 "25% off on any item in-store" coupons that are all expiring in November ^_^; Deep Kiss of Winter is 27$, so I need at least 1 or 2 books in order to use one of the coupon. Finally, yesterday, the bookstore received the Mira/HQN releases and among them, one that I was waiting for: Hot on Her Heels by Susan Mallery. So what did I do? Pick up the phone and call the bookstore... Problem is, Coles is a very small bookstore and they have 4 employees... and lately, every time I've been calling, I get the same person: James ^_^; How do I know it's James? Well, it's the only guy that works there and he answers: "Coles des Cathédrales, bonjour. James à l'appareil." A couple of months ago, he suggested I leave a list of books I was expecting and they would put it aside automatically for me... but I haven't yet. One of the reasons is that Coles is very small and they don't get all the books. Also, I know they're the ones who gets Mira/HQN books first, but it's not the case for all publishers... Hey, I'm all about instant gratification - I'll go to the bookstore I know I can get the books the earliest... Okay, long story short, I didn't leave a list and as a result, I've been calling quite regularly and yes, lately, it's always James who answers ^_^; So yesterday, I got embarrassed ^_^; Cos I always call the day the books are unpacked. I mean, I know I'm obsessed, but it's another story when someone else knows. So instead of asking for Hot on Her Heels (to be sure that there were indeed out on the shelves and there were copies left - because others leave their list), I kind of panicked and asked for Deep Kiss of Winter which I knew they had. Anyway, he put it aside for me. My co-worker who has witnessed a lot of my calls asked me if the clerks at Coles recognize me. Quite frankly, I didn't know. Not everyone is good with faces, not everyone pays attention and not everyone cares... but after yesterday, I know. The answer: they do, or at least, James does. So I went to the bookstore, luckily found Hot on her Heels on the shelves (yay!)... Then, I cruised the aisles for another book. Finally, picked up Witches Incorporated by K.E. Mills. Wait at the cash to pay... James came, got Deep Kiss of Winter from the "put aside" pile without me asking and I haven't spoken yet, so he did not recognize my voice. Then he asked: "You were aware this was hardcover, right?" and I'm like "Yes." I can't remember if I said something else, but I must have because he then said: "Yeah, I was surprised you didn't call earlier for this book. It's been out a while and you usually call as soon as they come out." All I could answer was: "Oh, I was waiting for another release to use a coupon." "Yeah, this book just came out today," he answered, pointing Hot on Her Heels. So yeah. They know who I am now LOL :P I can't decide whether it's embarrassing or not LOL :P However, now, I'm really considering leaving a list with them, at least for the Mira/HQN books releases. Okay, this post is way longer than I expected ^_^; I'll just finish by posting pics of my Frostbitten gym bag :D

The t-shirt has the same logo than the gym bag... and if it looks used already, well it's because I used it as my carry-on for California :D

Legend of the Condor Heroes...

Legend of the Condor Heroes aka LOCH :) That title brings back great memories for me and a lot of nostalgia. Isn't it weird how one person goes through so many phases/stages in her/his life? In my case, there's always been two constants in my life: reading and Chinese tv series... especially kung fu tv series :)

In my teens, I was sooo obsessed with kung fu tv series that it prompted me to learn vietnamese so I could read kung fu novels... and for 5 years, that's all I read. Kung fu novels. Anyway, I'm not going to bore you guys with details and so on... I just wanted to share these clips :)

Legend of the Condor Heroes was written by Jin Yong aka Louis Cha. This guy is probably the most popular kung fu novelist ever and has written 14 novels... All of them have been adapted to the tv screen, but some more than others. Legend of the Condor Heroes is one of them. It's kind of funny... it was adapted in 1982, 1994, 2003 and again in 2008... My obsession with kung fu series has lessened in the past few years (ever since I started reading romance novels... go figure, LOL) and so I haven't watched the 2003 version. It's not just that my passion lessened, but I didn't like the actors... and I'm a huge fan of the 1994 version. However, I've stumbled across the opening credits for the 2008 version and although it's a "pop idol" version of the tv series... I don't know, I'm tempted... What do you think?

*EDIT on September 14, 2012: I removed the themesongs videos due to storage issues*

So what do you think? Should I give a try to the 2008 version? I have to admit, that the song is catchy, even if it's pop song LOL :)

Have to say, I enjoyed watching the opening credits ;) Sometimes, I go on youtube and just watch them... In the case of Legend of the Condor Heroes, it's fun to see the evolution of make-up, costums and special effects LOL :) Although, I wish there was more hand to hand combats in more recent versions. By the way, for those who will watch all the clips, do you see some constants? LOL :) Since it's adapted from the same novel, for sure there is going to be similar events... but it's fun to see it in each version :)

Wiiiiiiiii :D

Hi everyone!!!

How was your week-end? My week-end started off badly... My room has been a mess for weeks and apparently, my father finally cracked down and couldn't stand it anymore. Apparently, he was really mad on Friday night... I say apparently, because, well, I was asleep ^_^; So I didn't see the volcano erupting... So I spent Saturday cleaning my room. It's not sparkling, but it's acceptable. The thing is, I'm planning to change things around soon, that's why I've been putting off cleaning. Also, I'd pretty much like to purge everything... my books, my closet, my desk, my clothings... But then, I guess I have to have space in order to purge.

Then, to cheer myself up, I went to eat Japanese food on Saturday evening. There's this tiny Japanese restaurant near my house and it's sooooooo good. Seriously, I've been to Japanese restaurants and that place is really great. My sis got the salmon teriaki and I chose tempura... part of the complete dinner... So that included appetizer (my sis: fried tofu, me: sashimi - 7 pieces), japanese salad, miso soup, main meal (and it's good portion... i got 5-6 shrimp, 2 pieces of sweet potatoe, 2 of zuchinni and 1 green pepper) along with some maki... plus, dessert - 1 scoop of green tea ice cream. I don't usually eat at the restaurant... I mostly take sushi take-out... enough that the staff knows me by sight... and I was feeling so bad on that evening, because the restaurant closes at 10pm and we showed up at 9.30pm... So we kind of rushed through the main meal and told them we were going to take out the ice cream... I think they realized and were grateful, so they gave us some extra treat :) How nice! LOL :) It was green tea ice cream wrapped in some paste and so the ice cream wasn't melting out :P Anyway, all very yummy.

Yesterday, I went shopping with my sister and a friend :D Both some nice summer tops and a pair of pants as well as some books :D Always buying books ^_^; LOL :) It was fun, the weather was soooo nice :) Then, when we went home, my sister saw that one of our mutual friend was able to buy a Wii this week-end, so we started looking online and saw that some shops finally got some in!! So I sent my sister on a mission today :) To buy the Wii...

So guess what? We got one!!! Yay!!!!

LOL :) Also, I sneaked out today and both more remotes and games... and well, there was a bookstore next to it, so I got the books I couldn't find yesterday :P In addition to all this, I read three books during the week-end :) and watch a very good TVB series called D.I.E. = Detective Investigation Extended. It's a great tv series. Roger Kwork is such a good actor!! The whole plot was pretty good and so were the investigations cases :D

so what about you? How was your week-end?

The Seventh Day

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry for neglecting the blogs these past few days. I just started feeling better... i.e. no dizziness. I've been trying to catch up on my sleep, but two things came up: 1) curling - the Brier, ie. Men's Canadian Championship and 2) The Seventh Day, a TVB series.

Also, it seems that Ames has been extremely busy with work- we've barely exchanged emails. At least, we've been able to exchange each other's pictures. So we'll try to have a recap of the trip soon.

On the reading front, I haven't read much. Again, two things came up :P The Brier and The Seventh Day. I was able to finish one book though :P I'll review it soon, but all I have to say for the moment is that I love Chapters online :) Pre-ordering is great!!!



Finally, I need to gush :) My obsession of the moment, The Seventh Day!! Gosh, it's been a long time since a tv series has this effect on me :P Basically, what makes this series great for me is the two leads, Kevin Cheng and Niki Chow :) (they're on the right side of the poster, with the snow background).

Kevin and Niki just have incredible chemistry together and all their scenes are soooooo sweet and cute! Awwww. It's the kind of on-screen couple that you just wish were a couple in real life too :) and aren't they cute together? Kevin's so handsome :P I think he's my ideal looking man LOL :) and Niki is just sooo cute :) They're quite solemn in the poster, but they're usually so smiley and happy... Rumors have it that they're dating... I wish it's true :P This is their third collaboration together and it's basically because they're such a great couple that this tv series was made.

So what have I been doing? Watching this tv series in cantonese although I don't understand much. Luckily, there are summaries and spoilers :P Well I didn't need to understand what they said to cry :) Basically, The Seventh Day has a tragic storyline... I just can't wait for the viet version to come out. Luckily, someone has finally subbed the series in English. Thanks God!

I'll be back soon in full swing :P

Surprise, more books!

All right :) So I didn't do much reading this week-end... I've only re-read Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder (review in previous post :P)

since I obviously have no review, well I can only share with you my new books (yep, I've bought more books, but all before last Saturday). But before, I want to share with you the tv series I've been watching over the week-end... It's been a long time since I've seen such an entertaining "ancient" tv series. So here are the opening theme and the subtheme... I'm addicted to the subtheme. I find the song really good ;D

**EDIT April 1, 2012: The videos were expired and I couldn't find replacements, so I decided to take them down.

I also had a favorite couple in this series :D He's an assassin and she's on the good side... basically, they're enemies, but they love each other. I have to say tho that the series didn't focus on them and I think that they didn't have enough screen time T_T

Sad thing tho is that I didn't really like the costume design and hairstyles of this series... ah well, can't have it all I guess.


All right, onto the books now :D

UBS finds:

Prince of Swords/ Still Lake/ the Widow by Anne Stuart
Winterset by Candace Camp

Chapters/Indigo buy:

No Rest of the Wicked by Kresley Cole
The Ultimatum by Susan Kearney
Nine Lives by Sharon Sala
Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase
Doppelganger by Marie Brennan
Everything's coming up, Rosie by Kasey Micheals
Devil's Waltz / Cold as Ice by Anne Stuart

Online orders:

Born in Death by J.D. Robbs
Gifts of Love by Kay Hooper and Lisa Kleypas
Extreme Exposure by Pamela Clare
Billionaires Prefer Blondes by Suzanne Enoch


So that's it :D I have to say tho that I've been buying way too much books (esp. in the past two weeks)... so I'm officially taking a break ^^; well at least, until I find out whether or not that new Indigo has any opening promotions... if there are, I'll find something to buy (you have to take advantages of those promotional sales!) and if not, then well I'll continue to be on break :P