Potty

Yes, the frenzied mania is beginning to build up momentum. Time Magazine has a great feature that shows the lengths that the Harry Potter brain trust (yes, apparently there is such a thing) went through to maintain the secrecy of the Deathly Hallows. Wikipedia also has this really fascinating analysis of the final book.

I so cannot wait for the book (here I'm beginning to sound like a raving maniac but I don't really care, I'm one of scores of many). I have been contemplating for the past few hours whether I should take leave from work and go off somewhere just to read the book in complete seclusion and savour the moments of reading this final book from Rowling. After all, the moment's never going to come again (I can hear people exclaiming "Oh for goodness sake!"). I read the 2nd last book at The Avillion, and cried when Dumbledore died (and cried a 2nd time when I read it again the next time, that's how absorbed I got in Rowling's writing).

So, I am seriously thinking about taking 2 days off (it's been too long since I've stopped eating just to read a book - I used to do that as a kid, not actually stop eating, but bringing the story book and propping it up in front of my plate, until my parents stopped that habit). I almost want to pull out of that treasure hunt on the launching weekend too. But I've already promised, so I shouldn't back out.

I've also been trawling the web for various interviews that the cast gave after the Tokyo premiere yesterday of the 5th Potter movie. Yah, like a Potter-stalker. But well, I'm not the only one. But I do admit, I'm looking forward to the 7th book more than the 5th movie. The movie will merely whet my appetite for more in the book. Ah, but I'm raving now.

I've heard a really huge rumour on the character that will die in this final book - and hearing that rumour, it thoroughly caused me to gape with horror. I hope it is just that, a rumour, nothing more. But not wanting to spoil it for some, I won't say who is rumoured to die. As, apparently, I already spoilt it for KF because I just could not keep my horror to myself. However, the writer of this Time article put it perfectly succinctly:

"People read books for any number of reasons; finding out how the story ends is one among many and not even the most important. If it were otherwise, nobody would ever bother to read a book twice. Reading is about spending time with characters and entering a fictional world and playing with words and living through a story page by page. The idea that someone could ruin a novel by revealing its ending is like saying you could ruin the Mona Lisa by revealing that it's a picture of a woman with a center part. Spoilers are a myth: they don't spoil."

Whoosh

Gwen Stefani is rocking KL on August 21st! Indoor stadium too! Ahhh, how I wish. But no, I am spending a small fortune for the next half a year already (like I don't spend a small fortune any other time of my life, hah), so I shall resist. I resisted King & I, My Fair Lady, Phantom of the Opera, various choir concerts at KLPac, (yah, so nice to list the things I sacrificed and indulge in self-pity), I can resist this too. Anyway, we splurged at Sammi Cheng's concert - which was actually quite good, if not for her fan club sitting in front of us waving tall neon lights and big placards. I liked that she put in loads of effort in her dancing - she doesn't dance with all her might, but I like the way she dances in her don't-care attitude, the way she is "sampat" but endearing, and just, basically, her charm. She's put on a bit of weight (rest must have done her good) and looks better now (although maybe her SK-II endorsement was temporarily suspended when she was on holiday). She looked a bit older at the concert, maybe her make-up artist wasn't very good. But, anyway, it was nice to go up to Genting and just feel the cold air. I'm looking forward to treasure-hunting up to Cameron Highlands next month. Also, looking forward to HARRY POTTER! OMG, there is NOTHING else I'm looking forward to more in July, absolutely nothing. The 5th movie, on the 14th I believe, and the final book, on the 22nd - the day which I leave for my very 1st treasure hunt. I can't believe my colleagues managed to persuade me to postpone reading Harry Potter while we go hunt for tea leaves or whatever else it is people do in treasure hunts all the way up to Equatorial Cameron. I can't believe I won't be 1st in line to get my pre-ordered copy (the book, btw, is a bit expensive, but eh, nothing Harry Potter is too expensive, hah). And oh yes, I'm also looking forward to our 3-day company getaway to Chiangmai. We're staying near the famed Night Bazaar, and if it's as famous as it is known for, I hope to bring back loadsa stuffs (I always say that, don't I?). And yes, the end of the month, THE photoshoot. No, I'm not a super slim model yet, not gonna be by then too. But, I heard that bridal studio photographers are magicians ;) So yesterday, I attended my first gym class - Step. Been, what, 2 years since I went for my last Step class? So yesterday, I huffed and puffed my way through one class, thoroughly enjoyed myself, loved the exhausted red-cheeked face sweating profusely looking back from the mirror, and I vow to at least make it once a week to gym, if for nothing else, at least for Step (although today, I feel like I got a permanent cramp behind my right calf and my left thigh feels like splitting from the joints whenever I go to toilet). I also wanna try Bodypump (never did it before because I got intimidated by the weights la), the Bellyjam class (I did feel intimidated watching the ongoing class from outside glass panels, those girls looked so pro leh), the Bodyattack class (I surfed the Les Mills website and gee, this workout sounds like one heckuva workout), the Cardiowave and RPM sessions (just to see if I can). Aiya, I want to try so many things. The pool too! When it opens, supposedly middle of July. And yes, next month's my birthday - heehee. GSC and JCard already sent me my birthday vouchers. 27 years old! You know, I always thought 27'd be the perfect age to marry - I guess seriously, (if you've read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne), the law of attraction and powerful visualisation is for real - whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve. Now, I just have to start dreaming seriously of free round-the-world travel tickets and fully-paid 5-star hotels. I am prone to drama, my life doesn't have enough of it, and I don't wish it to. At all.

My Wish

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,

And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,

All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,

And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

- the beautiful "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts (I don't really know who he / the band is, but I really thought it was sung by Keith Urban until I googled the lyrics).

It's been ages since I did a proper update. So today, I shall just do some Monday morning ramblings.

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 on Saturday at TGV (I always feel a certain sense of achievement whenever I get those RM6 earlybird tickets - I mean, think about it, most movie tickets nowadays cost RM11 per person on a weekend!). Anyway, RM6 was about what the movie was worth. No spoilers because the movie wasn't fantastic enough to garner a long review. Pirates 2 was much better. However, I liked that this one had an ending, a proper one. So if you haven't watched it, stay until the end of the credits for the proper ending.

And this Friday, I shall be bus-ing it down to Singapore for the Great Singapore Sale (they even have a website! and yes, the Sale apparently deserves capital letters). What I hope to buy : bedsheets (I heard they've good quality and designs at a cheap price there), shoes (at least take photos of some designs and maybe bring home to custom-make if the heels are too high), dress (yah, I got nothing to wear! haha), and my normal Singapore-pilgrimage-intake of Tony Roma's delightful pork ribs and the fishball in Tangs marketplace - yum yumm. Believe it or not, in all my years of studying in Skudai, I never made it to the Sale. So, I'm rather looking forward to it (shopping is something I need to mentally prepare myself for, in order to garner maximum satisfaction).

I have also begun my 6-month pre-big day beauty treatments. But, to avoid sounding completely narcissistic, I am not delving into details. Suffice to say I do not hope to look any worse than now 6 months on (no I'm not doing plastic surgery or spending BIG money, so it's merely maintenance procedures, hah!).

Oh, and believe it or not, True Fitness is finally opened at Jaya33. The gleaming new machines are up and running (treadmills have no earphones though), the RPM studio is ready to torture, the changing rooms are big and BIG, and the whole place just reeks of new-ness. Work is still ongoing for the pool and the spa centre, but hopefully it should be ready by the official opening on the 15th. The classes aren't really properly scheduled yet, so I might just wait until the 15th before I go.

While checking out the gym, we dropped by to the Oriental Pavilion (just next to True Fitness). They were cleaning up from a wedding dinner the previous night. We met the manager who showed us the whole place and let us visualize the settings. We got a gripe though - because there are about 3 or 4 big pillars blocking strategic views of the stage. And, the place can only comfortably fit about 50 tables. So, I gotta start attacking the guest list seriously soon. Also, the manager mentioned they have 2 projector screens at the stage - so that's one thing off my venue deco list. However, because Jaya33 "reeks of new-ness", I'm pretty satisfied with the venue. Now, all I have to do is decide if I want it to be simple or elegant - with the former meaning plain, and the latter meaning one florist is getting rich.

You see, I'm prone to writing long boring essays when I feel like rambling, rambling being therapeutic and a better option than settling down to mountain-load of work on the desk. But, I guess I better get started if I wanna move that mountain. Heave-ho!