the housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa

this book was originally written in japanese and later translated into english.  i liked this book.  it's a simple story that runs deep. it asks philosophical questions along the way.  i purchased this book in the most recent big bad wolf warehouse sale. 

everyone worth knowing by lauren weisberger

my fifth holiday read and another bookcrossing.com find --- thank you mph!  i absolutely loved the devil wears prada (read it a number of years ago) and i got totally immersed in this book in record time.

a big little life by dean koontz

my fourth holiday read, another one of my bookcrossing finds thanks to mph.  

anyone who has ever loved a pet would get dean koontz's sentiment as he writes about trixie koontz, his daughter (as he refers to her).  that's trixie on the cover of the book, by the way.  every new chapter has a snapshot of trixie.  i particularly love the one where she wears ribbons in her hair --- sooooo cute! a MUST read if you're a pet lover.

brutal by michael harmon

my third holiday read purchased while on holiday for only 10 AED (approx RM8) in a book sale at borders.  it's a hard cover edition and normally retails for around 80 AED.

everyone worth knowing by lauren weisberger

my fifth holiday read and another bookcrossing.com find --- thank you mph!  i absolutely loved the devil wears prada (read it a number of years ago) and i got totally immersed in this book in record time.

a big little life by dean koontz

my fourth holiday read, another one of my bookcrossing finds thanks to mph.  

anyone who has ever loved a pet would get dean koontz's sentiment as he writes about trixie koontz, his daughter (as he refers to her).  that's trixie on the cover of the book, by the way.  every new chapter has a snapshot of trixie.  i particularly love the one where she wears ribbons in her hair --- sooooo cute! a MUST read if you're a pet lover.

retire young retire rich by robert kiyosaki

i came across this book in the bookcrossing zone in 1-utama just before going on holiday.  i found a lot of things in this book that made A LOT of sense.  is someone trying to tell me something???

born bad by josephine cox

another one of my bookcrossing finds.  the second read on my holidays :)

zen thoughts

for something new to begin, something must end.  endings need not be a bad thing.  ruin precedes development (think of rome).

i'm in Dubai now.  i was shopping in Carrefour in the Mall of the Emirates two days ago when i got shortchanged 100 AED.  my purchases came up to 82 AED, i gave the cashier (a Filipino girl) 200 AED and she gave me only 18 AED change. Now, because this is Dubai and i am not familiar with the currency here, i quickly took the change she handed me, put it in my handbag and packed up my purchases. it was only after i left the counter that i felt that something was amiss, took out the change from my bag and realised that i was 100 AED short. now thinking that maybe i was mistaken (my bag is like a big black hole sometimes), and not wanting to make an unnecessary scene, i went to the ladies room, got into a cubicle and emptied out the contents of my bag (thank God the loo cubicles here are big and clean). i was 100 AED short, that was for sure (i checked my bag twice to be sure).

i went down to Carrefour again, and asked the cashier. She had to call her line supervisor, they closed her line and instantly did a cash point check.