Yanting Gueh's Blog, page 4

No Monkey Business, but I Want to Be a Bit More Like the Monkeys

We're in the middle of Chinese New Year celebrations and I'd like to wish everyone a bountiful Lunar New Year, with no monkey business, and lots of agility and bright spirits!

Honestly, my personality is quite the opposite of a monkey's. I'm not too active, I don't swing from tree to tree to make friends, and I'm not their kind of smart. (If monkeys' intelligence are like sparks, mine is more like a soft glow -- which I'm perfectly happy with.)

This year, I have a lot of wishes for my writing,...

Are You A Juggler, Too?

It's true. People change. My reading habit certainly has though I never thought it would happen.

I used to read only print books, but now love both print and e-books (for the pricing, font size adjustability and dictionary functions).

I used to read only one book at a time, but now ... I have three to five books going at the same time. Yes, I'm a juggler. And I realise that if I have only one book going, my limbs start to itch. Then my scalp.

I like a mixture of adult and children's books, of f...

A Smile to Go Around {Picture Book Feature: Because Amelia Smiled}

Need a smile today?

I read this cheery picture book last week about a chain of inspirations and smiles. It starts with Amelia smiling as she runs through the streets with her parents.

They pass by Mrs. Higgins, who catches the smile and starts to bake cookies for her grandson, Lionel, in Mexico.

Inspired, Lionel sings a song about cookies to his class, and that inspires one of them to become a teacher as well ...

and then another to ...

and so on ...

Amelia's smile travels to England, Israel, Paris...

Concentrating on Today

Happy & Healthy 2016, everyone!

Usually, I would post a review of the year past or a list of goals. But I don't feel like doing it this time round. (I have done my personal review and list, of course.) Sometimes, talking too much about the past or the future can leave one gasping for breath.

Today, I'd like to concentrate on ... today.

Today, as of right now (early evening over here in Singapore), I've completed 5 out of 6 work tasks.

Today, I've watched an excellent episode of crime drama, SCOTT...

Princess Kaguya

I recently learned about an animation by my favourite Studio Ghibli. (I hang my head in utter shame ... how on earth had I missed it?).

I haven't watched this animation, but what I know about its storyline is: a bamboo cutter discovers a miniature baby in a bamboo shoot. He and his wife raise the baby, who grows at a peculiar rate. They believe she is a divine being and call her "Princess." When Princess is older, the bamboo cutter moves the whole family to the capital, forcing her to leave he...

A Red-Haired Lady, A Willow Tree & A House with A Difficult Past (Middle Grade Feature: The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow)

Time stopped as the two stared into the mirror. There stood a lady. She beckoned them from behind the glass, her green eyes flashing, fiery red hair static with electricity. Fairday felt something wrap around her ankle and tore her gaze from the reflection to look down. A glowing willow branch had ensnared her leg and was tightening its grip.

This is the latest middle-grade mystery that's been making its round in the book-blogosphere. What had exactly happened to the Begonias? The daughter had...

Most People Cannot See Ghosts. Can You? (Picture Book Feature: Leo)

I can.

I can see this ghost, Leo. Good chap.

He lived by himself in a nice house. He read and drew in the dust. When a family moved into his house one day, Leo made mint tea and honey toast. He wanted to be a good host.

The family? Ye...a, they didn't think so. They freaked out and tried to get rid of the ghost.

Saddened, Leo left. He wandered the streets and was ignored by everyone. Until he met a little girl, Jane.

Jane stared right at him and asked if he wanted to play.

Ah, and so the story ends...

TV Shows I Love

We all love good stories, and half the time they come from TV shows instead of books (or they're adapted to screen from books). Here are shows I adore, some slightly more than the rest:
Um yea, I do have a thing for crime and legal drama.

So what do I love about these? The pacing, characters, dialogue, and storylines ... Sometimes the characters stay with you for so long you find it difficult to cope when they are off the shows (Elliot Stabler, Will Gardner, Kalinda Sharma ~ every governmental...

A Smelly Dog, A Warm-Hearted Girl, and Some Sweet & Sad Things (Middle Grade Feature: Because of Winn-Dixie)

My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice and two tomatoes, and I came back with a dog.

This one is for all of you dog lovers! On the summer Opal was ten, she and her father moved to Naomi, Florida, as he had taken up the job of preaching at the local church. Opal's mother had left them when Opal was three.

This summer. In a town where she had no friends, where she had to start over and make new o...

Picture Book Feature: Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village

Brace yourself. This isn't a happy story.

Still, it is a sweet, sadone that's likely to give you a big lump in the throat.

Xiao Le, a little Chinese boy, hasn't seen his grandmother in a long time. Grandma lives in Perfume Village, which is rather faraway. One morning, his mother tells him they are taking a long train ride to visit Grandma. Xiao Le happily carries his backpack and brings along his toy truck.

To show Grandma.

When they reach the village, Grandma's neighbour, Aunt Zhou, answers the...