Anna Tan's Blog, page 123

#atozchallenge: Balloon

Three long skinny balloons lay on Thea's lap. She was blowing up another balloon, grimacing a little at the squeaky sound it made as she tied off the knot. That was four done and another three to go. She glanced again at the manual beside her and smiled. Lou had once called it her crazy smile - the one she always smiled right before attempting to pull off some madcap scheme. It was a good thing he wasn't around right now, though she would have much appreciated his help in blowing up the ball...

#atozchallenge: Asparagus

He crept slowly along the corridor, keeping as much as he could to the shadows. There was a stir of air above him and he paused, looking up. A dark figure stood outlined in the dim window opposite, a stray curtain flapping in the soft breeze. He froze. The figure stood there for a long time, seemingly gazing out the window, and he wondered if it - he or she, he couldn't tell - had seen him. But no hue and cry was raised, nothing startling happened, and in due time the figure disappeared. He c...

#fireplace: audacious prayers

I didn't really intend to go up for altar call. I hardly ever do anymore. I guess I'm jaded about the whole go up and get someone to pray for you thing because oftentimes, I'm this invisible persona in the front where everyone else and their dogs gets prayed for before someone goes "oh, you're still here. Do you want to be prayed for?" I usually give up by that time and go home. Yes, extremely jaded, I know.



But I went up anyway. And this line was repeating itself in my head. Give me Penang. ...

#bookreview: The Exile's Violin by @RSHunter88

The Exile's Violin by R.S. Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Jacquie Renairre has never accepted that her parents' deaths were an accident - capitalising on her guardian, Uncle Serge's contacts and her burgeoning skills as a Private Investigator, Jacquie embarks on a quest to discover the truth behind the mysterious black key that was stolen on the night her parents were murdered. Teaming up with socialite Clay Baneport, Jacquie is also contracted by Special Advisor Maximilian Delacroix to inve...

Knight in White riding to slay the Big Bad Wolf!*

Where I scored 27/30 on my Coursera Songwriting assignment #2.



And this will have to do for this week's friday flash, though it isn't a flash... because I have another assignment to do, videos to watch, quizzes to catch up on...

And I'm planning on working tomorrow so I need to sleep.











Also, the BIG BAD WOLF is in town!

{runs around gibbering}



*not really, but that was the only thing I could think of to connect the two main themes of my post.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this book review

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I'm not sure why this book was an international bestseller and made into a movie.

It was a pretty so-so read, with me being distracted on and off. The part of the book I really liked was the e-mail exchange between Grigg's sisters (I've already forgotten their surname) about Grigg falling in love.

I think what annoyed me most was the universal "we" used throughout the book and not actually finding out who the narrator was...

fireplace: What does righteousness look like?

"Goodness is about what you do. Not who you pray to."
"I tell you, commander, it's true that some of the most terrible things in the world are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they're doing it for the best, especially if there is some god involved.”


Terry Pratchett, Snuff

In a way that's true. Being good is a lot about what you do and so often in the midst of good intentions, of trying to do what is right in our view, we do more damage to others in the name of God.


It's...

#bookreview: Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones

Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Mr Crossley receives an anonymous note stating "SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH". This is dangerous because witches are still hunted down and burnt at stake in this alternate version of England and as Mr Crossley teaches in Larwood House, a boarding school for witch orphans and other problematic children, it could very well be true. Suspicion falls on Nan Pilgrim, the outcast girl with a famous witch's name (teasingly at first), whilst...

The weekend setlist

You are loving beyond measure

Your presence is the treasure I am seeking

You are an all-consuming fire

I am Your desire and You are mine





It took an awfully long time to pick the songs for this week.

I had this song in my head that I was utterly convinced we'd sung in church before, but evidently we hadn't (I don't know why I was so sure!).

I'd swapped in and out at least a dozen songs (okay, maybe ten, but "a dozen" sounds nicer), some multiple times.

But I'm ending with this.

Because even...

Love in Penang: a call for entries

Some time last month, Gina alerted me to an invitation by Fixi Novo to apply to compile and edit their upcoming anthology of short stories, Love in Penang. And well yes, things just fell into place last weekend, with the call for entries up since Tuesday.





cross posted from: http://bukufixi.tumblr.com/post/44608...

I still think I'm flying by the seat of my pants, but hey it's a cool learning curve, ain't it?



So yes, if the theme "Love in Penang" is ringing any bells in...