Review: Julian Barnes - The Sense of an Ending (Man Booker prize winner 2012)

I don't know if book reviews have a place on this blog, but I read so many, and always have opinions bubbling after completion. This Christmas I received a bumper pack of cellophane wrapped books, collected together by their appearance on the Man Booker prize 2012 shortlist- I decided to read Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending first, which just so happens to have won the prize...

This book is about memory, and its unreliability. "what you end up remembering isn't always the same as what you have witnessed.", says our protagonist Tony Webster, whom takes us back to his school days with his four person posse, headed up by the incredibly clever Adrian.

The plot is simple and slow moving, Tony's first relationship ends with his ex Veronica taking up with Adrian. Tony gets married, has a child and leads an unremarkable quiet life. Though not dissatisfied with his lot, a surprise gift in Veronica's mother's will makes Tony, readdress the past, and confront his selective memory.

If I could sum up this book in one word it would be 'intelligent'. The slow moving story contains little action, and instead fills the pages with provoking philosophical prose. It is neither pretentious, or misplaced, yet I found myself getting irritated at the need to re-read paragraphs and ponder suggestions. At the end, I changed my tune and admired the cleverness of Barnes, but I couldn't help wishing that he had left some of the thinking to the reader, rather than spelling it out, albeit in a very eloquent fashion.

It's a short book, which took me about 3hrs to read. I do have a tendency to skip read and probably should have spent longer over it, but I love to flip the pages fast, seeking out the plot. The ending was the most thrilling part of the book, and I didn't manage to second guess dramatic finish either...all in all a good read, but one in which I couldn't connect fully with any of the characters, even Tony whose first person narrative we were forced to trust. I think the offshoots of philosophy are partly to blame for this separation, and in a way the story seemed better observed from the outside. I already knew that memory is unreliable. Now perhaps more so.

New Year!

Assalamualaikum sayang!
Haha ;)
Okay, sesiapa yang bertuah yang follow blog aku ni, anda sememangnya bertuah sebab dapat tahu apa azam aku bagi 2012! (chehhh. macamlah orang nak tahu sangat!)
Sebelum tu, aku na tunjuk gambar cute ni dibuang!
Debushhhh!!

Haha. kejam nya Sha!
Okayh, jeng jeng JENG!!

p/s: Actually, masa aku cari gambar 2012 ni, aku tataulah awat, tapi banyak gila fasal "2012=Kiamat" Dan aku tatau hantu mana beritahu dia yang 2012 ni akan kiamat. Weh agak-agaklah. Aku tak kahwin lagi.

Okay, so kita teruskan untuk senarai azam Siti Aishah BT Mahadi!

1. Belajar agar PMR straight A's dalam genggaman dan SPM 9 A's!
2. Belajar untuk memantapkan Aqidah dan berlajar menjadi Muslimah sejati.

3. Say NO to couple.
4. Banggakan IbuBapa.
5. Mengeratkan ukhuwah antara saudara, kawan dan kaum kerabat yang lain.

6. Aktif dalam aktiviti luar darjah dan kokurikulum.
7. Matang! Yes yes girl!

8. Melupakan sejarah lalu! Bina hidup baru!

Mengumpat Harus

Assalamualaikum.
Okay, korang tengok gambar ni confirm korang akan tahu post kali ni mengenai apa, kan? (padahal kalau tengok tajuk dah tahu)
Haha. okay. Whatever.
Pagi tadi dalam 2 pagi lebih dua orang abang aku yang baru balik dari seminar yang diadakan di Kuala Lumpur, tapi aku tatau kat mana sebab aku malas care. Heh. Seminar tersebut dinamakan Twins Of Faith or TOF.


Aku bangun seawal jam sebelas pagi lebih setelah dengar bunyi bising mak tengah blend something macam tulah.
p/s: Yelahkan, anak dara abad ke 20 ni semuanya bangun jam 6:30 pagi (macam aku) then sambung tido sampai matahari terpacak atas kepala! Hehe
Okay, back to tajuk entry kali ni. Aku bangun je, terus duduk atas sofa makan kuih cina yang sesat kat atas meja (jatuh dari langit agaknya) sambil tengok tv yang tengah menyiarkan saluran Astro Cerita. Adik aku lah ni gilakan Dragon Ball. Lapuk betul.
Tup-tup abang aku datang sambil bawak pelbagai jenis majalah. Solusi, Anis, Upin Ipin, sticker dan sebagainya. And aku, of course aku pilih untuk baca Majalah Solusi!

And sebenarnya aku tatau awatlah abang aku buat balik Solusi edisi 30 dengan 38 ni. Jarak dia dahla jauh, entah dari mana dia rembat edisi ke 38 ni. Tapi aku bacelah sekadar isi masa lapang aku yang ada daripada aku pergi berus gigi. Aku malas tau nak berus gigi pagi-pagi. So sape yang kahwin dengan aku, jimat ubat gigi dan air.

Pengertia mengumpat:

Bercakap perihal seseorang tanpa pengetahuan orang tersebut/diketahui dan boleh mendatangkan kemarahan orang tersebut.
Dan jika apa yang diperkatakan itu tidak benar, ia akan bertukar menjadi fitnah.

Dan dalam karangan Ustaz Syed Norhisyam tu, beliau telah menyenaraikan 6 mengumpat yang diharuskan. Okay. Ni dia:

Mengadu kezaliman dan pengkhianatan yang berlaku.

Okay, yang ni no comment. Aku rasa ramai yang tahu isi tersiratnya. ;)

Meminta pertolongan untuk mengubah kemungkaran

Jika kemungkaran itu melibat ancaman aqidah, maka ia harus.

Untuk meminta Fatwa

daripada mufti seperti isteri menceritakan perbuatan jahat suami beliau dan inginkan nasihat.

Menyelamatkan saudara daripada kejahatan seseorang

Memperkenalkan seseorang yang memang terkenal dengan gelaran mereka

seperti si buta, si tempang kerana mereka

Orang yang terang-terang melakukan kefasiqan.

Okay. Ni je dan aku tak jelaskan dengan terlalu lanjut.
Malas duhh.
Dan walaupun begini, aku rasa masih ada banyak jenis mengumpat yang ada orang telah 'haruskan' nya tanpa secubit rasa bersalah dan tak ramai boleh lari dari mengumpat. So, belajar lah menjadi lebih pendiam.

p/s: Sha, kau pun same!

okaybye Assalam :*

Christmas Krismas Holy Water!

Assalamualaikum.

Dekat facebook berduyun orang duk post fasal Christmas Christmas. So, Aku pi lah check dekat Google, sejarah asal usul Cristmas @ Krismas.
And it's agak mengejutkan sebab aku tatau ertinya dulu@ pernah diberitahu tapi aku lupa walaupun aku ni ex SJK C Kong Min(ramai member cberagama Kristian).
Dan dia keluar yang Krismas tu menyambut kelahiran Jesus mereka dan Nabi Isa kita. Kiranya Krismas bagi orang kafir@ Kristian adalah ala-ala kita menyambut Maulud lah ek?
Waallahua'lam.

Dan, yang aku peliknya yang orang-orang Islam tu duk ucap Merry Christmas tu awat? Eeei bodohnya. Kita terbalik kan. ada ke orang Krismas ucap anything bila kita sambut Maulidur Rasul? Most of, tak. Kan?
So, why do on earth kita duk wish-wish kat mereka? Nak jugak kena cepuk ni. =.=||

Next, kita bincang fasal Holy Water.
Ni pun satu aku tak puas hati. Kat facebook, Tagged.com dan dekat tempat lain-lain berduyun orang duk forward mesej mengenai jangan minum air Holy cause, ia dijampi oleh penganut Kristian. If minum, anda susah untuk mengucap kalimah Syahadah.
WTH?? Uhh.
Dah cuba hang khabaq kat aku, dari mana hang seludup khabar angin nih? Sampai aku pun ternaik angin. Hesyy.
Dah tu orang Kristian yang masuk Islam tu? Aku rasa penganut Kristian mesti selalu minum air Holy. Nak-nak orang yang kuat mencari agama. Dah, tu kalau masuk Islam confirm, kena mengucap, kan? So, mereka boleh pula ucap kalimah syahadah, apa kena dengan air Holy je?

Hangpa tau dak, kalau hangpa duk forward benda-benda tak benar tanpa tahu kesahihannya, hangpa dapat dosa. Kalau hangpa forward dekat mamat A, mamat A forward kat 10 orang lagi, lepas 10 orang tu forward dekat 10 orang lagi, tak ke banyak dosa yang hangpa dapat? Haishh. Pandai-pandailah korang kira sendiri, haritu hangpa khabaq hangpa punya Maths lagi tinggi dari aku punya.

Okayh! Aku rasa sampai sini jelah untuk entry kali ni Chao! :* Assalamualaikum!

Random#2 Escape from everyone

Assalamualaikum.
Hoi lama siot aku tak update blog ni! Baru ada satu, dah susah nak cari masa untuk edit. Sorry ya sayang intan payung emas belian ku..
I'm on my way to update this blog!

Okayh. korang nampak tak tajuk atas nu ha? Means, post kali ni aku nak membebel dan nak cakap anything aje without perkara utama! And, entry ni panjang okay!, so bebanyak lah sabaq time bace nih!

Sekarang ni takda apa sangat yang menarik. Aku just tengah tulis SHIZMYP. entah bila lah siap agaknya. Lepas aku tamat belajar, maybe? Lagipun kan aku nak PMR, or maybe, aku boleh ambil masa panjang-panjang after I finish my PMR and continue writing "THAT".
And one more, aku bercadang nak letak the story ke dalam blog aku. Yelah kann. Kot-kot nanti aku masuk asrama, computer rosak kena buli oleh adik aku. naya aku nanti nak tulis panjang2 balik. Lagipun, mampuih adik aku kalau sungguh computer ni rosak =.=||

Wait. Asrama? What?!
Yes. ASRAMA.
Waaaa.
Actually I'm litle bit of surprise. Aku takut masuk asrama actually. Kena basuh baju sendiri, takda internet and what so ever.
Tapi kalau nak diikutkan, aku nak masuk asrama because of one thing je. Aku nak lari. Lari to somewhere. Escape from anyone.

Dan sebenarnya Cikgu Halim yang cakap Sha dapat masuk asrama, tapi surat tak dapat lagi. So, maksudnya, still ada chance yang sha tak dapat masuk asrama, kan? HEHE

And yang sebenarnya, surat tu baru sampai dan jantung aku berdetap macam mesin jahit tengah menjahit je! Dup dap, dup dap!!

Okayh. Dan mak aku dah ajak aku pergi beli barang2 asrama Isnin ni. Yes, sebab Isnin ni cuti sempena Krismas, (26) So, mak aku tak payah ambil cuti! Banyak tak kena beli? Urghh Entah.

Semalam 22 December, means, orang yang lahir tahun 1996 dapat result PMR! okayh, sekolah SMKB ada 8 orang yg straight A's termasuk Noor Asiah(Of course) and Shahairol Fitri(Waaahaha, kalau Syafiqah tahu dulu, mesti dia akan beria-ria nak beritahu Sha sebab Fitri! And, Afiff Razak! Yang lain tu Amalina, Syazatul Husna macam tulah. Muka2 yang cerdik dapat Straight A's. Zaim si Syafiqah tu dapat 4A4B(I wondering, si Zaim tu suka lg ke kat Hanis Suraiya? Sebab, Syafiqah tu siapa actually bagi dia? Umppp.) Hazuwan dapat 6A and, I was really really surprise. Why? Cause Hazuwan tu second class and Zaim tu first class. It means, bukan kelas depan je boleh score straight A's! And you know what, Sufi 6A2B! I'm happy for him too. Actually, aku targetkan dia dapat result lebih tinggi. Yey yey! Haha. Okay. Kak Nabila pun 6A.
So, back to me? Sha ni berapa A? Sha target straight A's tahun depan, InsyaAllah!! =) Aku budak hostel, pasti dapat tumpukan sepenuh perhatian pada pelajaran and, some in kokurikulum too. Tapi I always thingking why do student yang tak sembahyang dapat good result? Wa'allahua'lam. Allah yang tahu dan sesungguhnya aku hanya perlu berdoa, berusaha, tawakkal dan lebihkan ibadat kepadaNya!

Pernah tak Sha cerita mengenai lelaki yang Sha pernah ter-suka kat dia semasa bertugas as 'akak koperasi' bersama Aisyah(Ecah)?
Sesungguhnya, banyak betul kenangan dan pengalaman yang telah terbina sepanjang aku menjadi akak koperasi. Haha. Cyes tau. Kak Haryanie tu baik dan sporting sangat. Masa bertugas tu ada jugalah budak2 yang suwel cari fasal.. tapi yang best lagi banyak! Masa rehat koperasi selalu penuh dan tak menang tangan tau! Lagipun koperasi kat jual keropok, Oreo, Chipsmore dan kadang2 ada biskut lain dan coklat hitam. Yummy!
Kadang-kadang kalau si dua ekor Azam and Amy Zul free, dorang datang jugak ke koperasi beli oreo, tak pun borak2 dengan Myra. Amy tu selalu main dengan kalkulator akak. entah ape taukeh Porche tuh.
Kadang-kadang kerenah Azly dengan Nasrul nak beli oreo tapi duk kira duit dulu. Haha. Anak cikgu tapi gaya takda duit selalu!
Yang aku sukanya, kerenah Shahidan. Dia jarang jejak kaki ke koperasi, tapi kalau dia masuk, habis merah pipi kena usik tau. Haha.

Aku dah lari dari apa yang aku nak ceritakan ni. haha. Apaper entah Sha ni.
Dan, pada suatu hari tu, tatkala sha bertugas dengan Aisyah, ada sorang mamat ni main nak bayar, tak nak bayar macam tulah. Tapi disebabkan dia tu henseng tahap gaban, so, aku layan jelah. Haha. Dan, dalam masa2 gitulah dia duk buat lawak, and aku rasa dia tu cool. Macam Shahidan.
Then, lepas dia keluar tu, laju je aku tanya Aisyah siapa nama mamat tadi. Pastu dia cakap Shahrul! 2 Azam. Dan.. Yang menyedihkan, Aisyah tambah, girfriend dia sama kelas dengan dia sekali. Owh.. Shit! Tapi tu kisah beberapa bulan yang lepas! dalam bulan 8 tak silap. Lagipun I'm belng to Shahidan time tu kan kan. Ke tak? Haha. Gurau je.
Dan, you know whwat? Haritu dia hantar chat tanya aku ke budak kelas 2Arif yang pin dah tu? Dan kita pun berchit chat berchit chat. Dan kadang2 terlepas chat ngan dia. Sedih gila siot!!

HEHE. Okaylah, sampai sini jelah ek? :* Assalamualaikum!

Love Quote#2

He met her after a long break up.

He told her : Sorry, I've met a new one, I have a new girlfriend and another future..

How about your life?

She closed her eyes to hide her tears, Remembered all the memories she shared with him, She remembered how she shared his pain before his happy moments and how she refused many other boys just to stay with him.

She kept the remains of her pride and collected her force,
smiled and said : Sorry Sir, but do i know you ?

************************************************************************************

When you have so much pain in your heart u want to cry,,
only person who can stop u from crying,.
is exactly the same person who made u cry...!!

*************************************************************************************

As a child I saw Tarzan almost naked, Cinderella arrived home after midnight, Pinocchio told lies, Aladdin was a thief, Batman drove over 200 miles an hour, Snow White lived in a house with 7 men, Popeye smoked a pipe and had tattoos, Pac Man ran around to digital music while eating pills that enhanced his performance, and Shaggy and Scooby were mystery solving hippies that always had the munchies. The fault is not mine! If you had this childhood and loved it.. Like this

***********************************************************************************

Boy: Baby are you jealous?
gf : No.
Boy: Baby are you jealous?
gf : No.
Boy: Baby are you jealous?
...gf : I already told you, No!
Boy: Baby can I get a kiss?
gf : GO GET A KISS FROM THAT UGLY GIRL THAT LIKED YOUR STATUS ON FACEBOOK!
:-P

***********************************************************************************

‎*A Heart-Breaking Love Story*

There was a Guy Who was so Tired of Reading his Girlfriend's Message..
Because There are Always I Love Yew, I Miss Yew Or have Yew Eaten Yewr Meals?

One Night While Lying On Bed, He Received a Text Message from her..
He Didn't Read it Instead, He went to Sleep..

In the Morning, He Woke by a Call from his Gf's Mom..
She was Crying While Telling him that his Girlfriend was Killed that Night She Texted him..

He Remember the Message & Read it.. "Honey Pls Come & Help Me, Some1 is Following Me.. Pls"

MORAL: Never Ignore a Person Who Loves & Cares foh Yew Because One Day Yew May Realize Yew've Lost the Moon while Counting the Stars.. !!

**********************************************************************************

‎*Joke of the Day*
A Man buys a Lie detector robot that slaps people who lie.
He decided to test it at dinner:

Dad: Son where were you today during school hours?
Son: At school (robot slaps son)

Son: Okay I went to the movies!
Dad: Which one?
Son: Harry Potter (robot slaps again!)

Son: Okay I was watching porn.
Dad: What? When I was your age I didn't even know what porn was! (robot slaps dad)
Mom: hahahahaha! after all he is your Son!(robot slaps Mom)

*Like & Comment* if it Makes You Laugh xD

Violent Lips Blogger Shoot and Review

Everyone familiar with Violent Lips? It's a fairly newish brand that produces colourful patterned transfers for lips. I spotted them in a department store awhile back and picked them up with curiosity, so was delighted when I was invited to a Violent Lips bloggers photo shoot...delighted and terrified, as I am a camera shy blogger, ironically. As soon as a lens points in my direction my face contorts in self-awareness, which doesn't make for the most photogenic results. However, undeterred I headed off to the basement in central London to try on a pair of Violent Lips for size.

The lovely Chantelle (pictured with me above) did my makeup, extending my almost permanent eyeliner flicks in to perfect points and contouring cheekbones in to definition. She then selected me some 'Pink Giraffe' Violent Lips (1st pic). They are much like the temporary tattoos sported by cool 90s children, you press on and moisten with water soaked cotton wool, peel and then voila! The designs need to be trimmed to desired lip size before application, and I can imagine they might be a little fiddly to apply by yourself the first time. Handily, each pack contains two tattoos, so if you make a bad job of it there are spares!

I then was then photographed by Priya, who I commend for her patience! You can see the final image below, and I think it is testament to her great skill that I look comfortable and, dare I say it, normal, in this picture!

When first applied, the Violent Lips transfers feel very strange and tight, quite uncomfortable, however, Chantelle brushed some gloss over the top of mine, and it instantly eased the sensation. I'm not sure how long they would last, as I removed my giraffe print before venturing back outside (the design slid off easily with a slick of baby oil) but expect that they would see you through a night out.

They are a great idea for making a statement on a night out with minimal effort; you'd need little in the way of eye makeup as the transfers are so bold. Sadly, I don't think I will have occasion to use these again as my evenings consist of red wine pub conversations and theater trips; to turn up with pink giraffe lips might be frightening for acquaintances. How I wish these were around when Bianca and I were storming around East London with masks painted on our faces, wearing dresses made out of bin bags (true story). We often attempted lip art, but it descended down mojito straws and on to cheeks of strangers- Violent Lips would have been an essential purchase for our Sunday nights at the disco!


Deborah filmed a video of the bloggers shoot, so do watch as it shows the application of the transfers. What a great shot it has decided to stop upon- press my nose to play.




Violent Lips cost £7.99 and are available at Boots from December. Other designs include polka dot, glitter, leopard and slogans amongst many more!

Review: Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara was an impulse purchase whilst in Boots Cardiff with my Gran. In need of a new mascara, decided to shun my favourite YSL false lash and instead headed for Estée Lauder as I know the company does not test on on animals.

I had no time for research so simply asked the girl for the best most extreme mascara- I find that they all claim to do different tasks, lengthening, volume etc. but I simply want the one that has the most transformative and dramatic impact. She gave me the above.

It has a massive brush, as you can see in the photo, and as with Dior Show, it is incredibly difficult to apply. Every day I have to mop up mess from the eyelid as it's impossible to be precise. The formula is not great either, the results are nothing special, and wearing this daylong I find it has a tendency to crumble, leaving me poking my eyes in pain.

And it was £22! I'm so disappointed, I've had Max Factor (review here) and Boots 17 mascaras that were half the price but ten times better. I will use this until it runs out, but will never repurchase. The search continues for a good mascara that hasn't been tested on animals! Any recommendations will be gratefully received.

The best pink lipsticks?

I am not a girly girl, but I have a fine collection of pink lipsticks! Come 7.45am on any given week day I can be found rummaging through my lip draw, frantically turning tubes on their end to try and find the perfect shade to supplement my eyeliner flicks.

Here is a line-up 6 of my favourites. The key to my choices is something chalky and pale, part 60s, part rigor mortis. You can see by the unattractive smushed stumps that they have all been well used.




I know that beauty bloggers favour a 'swatch' so here are some swatches along with a rundown of the shades. From left to right we have as follows:

The Night Out Pink
Barry M 100 - a bold statement with a thick opaque formula.

The Everyday Pink
YSL 10 - a rose scented nude

The 60s Style Pink
YSL 148 - very similar to the above, but slightly more peachy

The Pretty Pink
MAC Lustering- looks more natural that the swatch, a rosy flushed coral for enhancing natural lip colour

The Natural but Better Pink
MAC All the Way to Love - glossy sheer and moisturising with a hint of pastel

The Retro Pink
MAC Please Me - matte salmon, quite bright chalky. Lasts well but quite drying

In general, I advise to go for YSL lipsticks if you have the cash, they have a wide range of pinks in subtly fluctuating shades. Every formula is moisturising and has an enticing floral scent. MAC is great as a cheaper option, but avoid the matte if you have dry lips- it settles in the cracked and looks like weathered earth!

Review: Myleene Klass Nail Wraps

Last Saturday was a hungover sort of day, that comprised of little more than the Home and Away omnibus, a trip to Pound Land for Christmas tinsel and a hot chocolate at the fancy bakery- the perfect day therefore, to try out Klass Nails!

I decided to try out the gold glitter design, nice and festive for the coming season. In the pack you receive 34 wraps, along with a coarse nail file. Unlike other nail wraps, these don't require glue or heat to adhere, you simply match up your nail width and press down to stick. The end is folded over then filed off.

It is quite difficult to lay the sticker smooth with no air bubbles, and especially tricky to get the nail tip tidy. You can see below that I didn't manage to get them perfect, but I rushed through it and had applied the whole set in a nifty ten minutes. Despite them looking a bit shabby up close, the effect is quite good from a distance.




Unfortunately, they started coming off literally hours later. I survived them until the following morning, then picked them off on the tube as I travelled to the shops.

Kat tried the leopard design, and you can see they look rather good! Much easier than messing around with nail pens. Hers are still on 2 days later (maybe the glitter ones come off easier?) but she reported that the leopard spots faded after a having shower!




The verdict? These are a quick fix for night out party nails but are no substitute for a real manicure. You can currently buy a 5 packs of different designs for £19.99 on JML Direct, which isn't too bad- they'd make a good Secret Santa or stocking filler!