One Magic Moment is the latest offering by Lynn Kurland and it has become one of my favourites.
I've been a fan of Lynn Kurland and her novels since 2 years ago, when I have the good fortune of reading one of her books. I love her writing style, the witty dialogue, the swoon-worthy heroes and their lady loves, the clean romance, the wonderful backdrops in medieval and modern England, etc.
With so many novels under her belt and the de Piaget genealogy chart getting more complex, I can only hope she will keep writing and keep her readers entertained. The de Piaget family is definitely one of the highlights of her whole fantasy world.
Time-travel romance with medieval lords meeting modern-day ladies and vice-versa is one of my favourite themes, as with paranormal romance. Unfortunately, the bulk of this genre do not quite suit my tastes.
As discussed before in one of my reviews, while I like how the protagonists have their happily-ever afters in whatever time period, I find myself not liking those stories where the females decided to drop their lives in the present and go back in time with their love as much as those who stay in the present.
Perhaps, it's because I cannot imagine myself doing that, regardless of everything. I like the present and the modern too much to give them up.
That's why One Magic Moment is one of my favourite novels, Tess and John de Piaget stayed in the present, or Future as they called it. He time-travelled to the Future and meet Tess a few years after. Even though through some conspiracy which have them time-travelled back to the 13th century, John is willing to give up his life there and return to the Future, partly because he has grown accustomed to the perks of modern amenities.
Ahhh, this is definitely a most satisfying story I have read and there will be plenty more to come next year.
20th June:
It's the most relaxing day in the entire tour as it was supposed to be free and easy shopping. Morning call was later than usual and we went down for the dim sum breakfast again.
After that, it's time to head over to One Link Centre where shops sell their stuff in bulk. You can find almost everything here, ranging from deco for homes to knick-knacks. I assumed this is the place where vendors would frequent to buy whatever they want in bulk and then go back to their own country to sell.
My uncle and aunties were there to bring in the stocks for their year-end gifts, whilst the rest of us were just shopping for leisure sake. I managed to buy a photo frame and a jewellery box.
Lunch was settled at the extremely crowded KFC. Eating fast-food in China is really worth it, I must say. That box of 5 nuggets costs only S$1+ after conversion. My family of 5 only paid S$10+ to settle lunch. Tell me that is not cheap. It would have cost three times the cost to eat the same in Singapore.
It was off to more shopping at wholesale markets. If I ever open a shop of my own, Guangzhou will be a sure place to go for buying wholesale products. They have entire shopping malls dedicated to selling leather bags and clothes.
We had dinner in one of the live seafood restaurants where you choose whatever seafood you want and bring it up to the restaurant for cooking.
The place is stinky and fishy with lots of loud, boisterous Chinese men who smoked till no end and ordered tons of seafood. We were like the odd ones in there. Seriously. Most of the tables are occupied by people described above.
There wasn't a lot of dishes and the whole atmosphere was just too smoky and disgusting to stay for long. I thought this meal will not cost us that much because my uncle said his colleagues recommended this place and said it was cheap.
Imagine my horror when my father told me we had to pay S$200+ to my uncle who paid first. I think the the overall bill was S$500 ++. Holy crap! The meal was OK at best and we can eat better here in Singapore with that amount of money. It wasn't worth it, no sir, not in that kind of environment and mediocre dishes. Perhaps it was due to those abalones...
21st June:
Woke up early and checked out without having breakfast. We have a flight to catch. We went to the airport first before finding out a place to eat.
The airport is big but there aren't many shops and there is no directory. Furthermore, our schedule was tight. Tiger Airways is cramped and small like JetStar, except the width of the seats are bigger, but there is absolutely no extra space for legroom. Taller guys like my brother and cousin must have it tough.
We were delayed for nearly an hour. The flight home was alright, however, not as smooth as the flight there. We touched down at Budget Terminal and there was no jetway (loading bridge) for us! We had to walk directly down the steps of the plane, and it was fun pretending to be important people getting off their private jets.
Budget Terminal as its name suggests is 100% budget. Amenities aren't as good as Changi Airport and even the service isn't up to par. The terminal itself isn't the cleanest with dirty tracks on the floor. We have to wait a long time for our luggage to load onto the belt for collection.
When all the luggage are finally collected, we went out to eat our late lunch at McDonalds. Ahh, Singapore McDonalds, how I miss thee! Nothing can quite compare to Singapore McDonalds.
18th June:
We had dim sum for breakfast at the hotel restaurant and it was time to leave for Meixian.
My uncle had engaged the services of a mini coach to take us to and fro Meixian.
It was a five-hour plus journey from Guangzhou to Meixian and we spent most of our time dozing off. The ride wasn't that comfortable as the seats were quite small, plus the air-con wasn't cold enough.
At last, we reached Meizhou Train Station where the long-distance relatives picked us up. First, they bought us to this old-fashioned restaurant where we had our late lunch. They ordered many dishes for us, including, gasp, dog-meat! Obviously, no one touched it. Anyhoo, the dishes weren’t suitable for my tastebud and I ate minimal. (I just realised that the meal was not a treat, which was even weirder because I thought the one paying should have some say in what to order.)
Therein after, we travelled to a temple and along the highway, we saw what was the cringe-worthy scene in our whole tour, a man wearing his birthday suit. It was definitely the most memorable and funny scene ever.
That night, we checked into Tian Yuan Hotel. The room is smaller than that of Hotel Landmark Canton and some amenities are not met as well. Oh well, thank goodness we only stayed for one night.
We went on a city night tour in a buggy that sit all of us and got to listen to Hakka folk songs. I must say the experience is rather enriching.
We had KFC for dinner and went for feet massage.
19th June:
McDonalds is conveniently located across our hotel and of course, we had to have breakfast there. You never really travel until you try out the McDonalds of another country.
We were then en route to the Hakka village where my great-grandfather used to live as a child. The main purpose of going there was to pay our respects to the great-great grandfather as a family. It was also to fulfil the wishes of the great-grandfather and the grandparents.
Upon reaching the village, we pay our respects at the altar and firecrackers were lay out in front of the pond. My cousin and brother got to light the firecrackers and I screamed when they started to go off. It was really loud!
We headed off to the grave at the other side of the village. It was quite a long way and we had to cross under a “tunnel”, tracked through brambles and climbed up a mountain.
I’ve never perspired that much since the last time I ran 2.4km. The feeling was great though, as if we had conquered Mount Everest. The view from the grave is awesome, overlooking the highway and never-ending plains and fields.
It was with great joy when we got back on the coach and headed over to lunch.
Soon, it was time to bid farewell and it was a five hour journey back to Guangzhou.
We stayed at the same hotel again, this time, all on the same floor. Phew, comparing between the room in Meixian and Guangzhou, Guangzhou’s so much more luxurious. At least, there is space for us to walk around without feeling claustrophobic.
Our next stop was Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street where there is nothing to buy again. Again, we went for the customary feet massage. Their business must have up ten-fold since we begin patronising them. The 12 of us (minus the grandparents) contributed much of their earnings for the day.
16th June:
We arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 1 around 11am plus. Once my uncle's family and grandparents reached, we checked in at Jetstar counter and went for our lunch. My auntie's family joined us later.
This holiday is deemed "family vacation of the year", what with the whole family embarking on a journey back to Hakka hometown in China, at the same time, we are also there to visit the great-grandfather's grave.
It was a 3.5 hours flight to Macau. Since we were taking a budget aircraft, there is not much to expect. I was pleased that the flight was overall smooth and I even saw lots of rainbows (or maybe it was the same one).
The airport is a short distance away from The Venetian Macau.
Wow, the hotel is really one of the grandest and nicely-themed hotel I saw! It is grand, opulent and lavish. Unfortunately, this positive image is marred by tons of other tourists who are there for one, single purpose: casino. Furthermore, the allowance of smoking indoors really spoilt the whole experience. You have no idea what smoking indoors does to the whole place, it stinks real bad as the smoke is stuck in the circulation system.
18 years is the minimum age to enter the casino and it is located in plain sight. I walked through a casino for the first time in my life and boy was the area large and smoky.
Our suites are so lovely and golden with a curtained king-bed and a sitting area. The en-suite is the most beautiful of them all. It is completed with double sinks, a bathtub and a shower area. Too bad there is only one bed and there are 5 of us in each room. In the end, I slept on the bed with my mother and the others had to bunk on the floor and sofa.
We had our dinner at the foodcourt and went "hotel hopping" afterwards. We visited hotels like MGM and Wynn which are more pomp while others like Hotel Lisboa leans to the flashy and ostentatious side.
At night, I went to check out the casino with my father even though we didn't play. I guess what made it such a big deal is the fact that you have to be 21 years to get into one in Singapore and pay a hefty fee of S$100.
17th June:
I finally had the chance to get some souvenirs at the gift shops. They were nice, little venetian masks keychains. Other than that, there was nothing worth buying.
We took a ride to the national monument of Macau: Ruins of St Paul's. As usual, there were lots of like-minded tourists taking photos. We bought bags of Macau's goodies.
Lunch was settled at The Venetian foodcourt again and then it was time to check out.
The border between Macau and China were filled with people, mainly the Chinese, who are leaving/entering Macau.
We bought tickets for a bus ride to Guangzhou.
Checked in at Hotel Landmark Canton. On one hand, it's 2 people per room, on the other, it is such a "downgrade" from the lovely Venetian suite. But, at least, the basic amenities are met and then some.
We went to Beijing Lu Pedestrian Street where we shopped and had dinner. There is nothing much that could tempt me there. The goods sold are not exactly my tastes.
Home is where the heart is. My heart is firmly set in Singapore, my beloved country.
Only when you are away from Singapore will you truly appreciate how wonderful Singapore is.
The few days in China is enough to turn me off. I hate to say this but with all the technology advancements, majority of the people, unfortunately, is way behind in becoming "first-world".
Uncouth and inconsiderate are some choice words to describe those people I had the misfortune to brush past. They have no idea what queuing means and have apparently, too much sense of preservation.
Let's recap what we saw: naked man walking along the highway, inconsiderate driving antics, smoking like nobody business, etc.
Guangzhou is drab. The buildings are not maintained and the streets are even worse. The thing I really can't stand is them smoking indoors, in air-con places no less. I get it, they want to end their lives early, and their children's too, but please, leave our poor lungs alone.
What's the deal with smoking and eating at the same time? They must have a lot of money on their hands to keep on smoking and smoking. I have a feeling that China is going to lose a lot of its citizens due to smoking-link illnesses.
I think I have inhaled enough second-hand smoke to last me for a long, long time. I have to clear my lungs out with all those junk and impurities.
I admit that Singapore has its fair share of inconsiderate smokers, but at least, I can breathe easier in air-con places.
"Motion sickness, ugh. Suddenly, it feels like time to go home". I like this sentence, because it sums up what I am feeling every time I am going to take an airplane.
I suffer from motion sickness all the time, be it on buses, ships and worst of all, airplanes. It is like the bane of my existence, made worse when I love travelling out of the country. I hate the process of getting to a destination but I can never give up my dreams.
I think what I am most afraid of is that slow build-up of a churning stomach. The strange thing is I don't puke during airsickness. I don't mind that if it makes me feel better. But, no, I am stuck with a queasy sensation long after I have get off the plane. The next part of the journey, usually by coach, makes that worse.
I don't even want to discuss the smells coming from the packed food. It just adds on to my suffering. Therefore, it is rare that I eat on a flight or the last meal before the flight. I usually go with plain crackers, said to remedy the queasiness. I don't know how I'll survive that long trip to USA, but hey, I'll make do.
Perhaps I overthink too much. Perhaps I'm too harsh on my body. I mean, people enjoy themselves on flights, watching movies, playing games or just plain relaxing. Why is it I can't? I spend most of the journey moaning and feeling sorry for myself. Part of this is due to taking those too harsh medication which plays havoc to my body system.
I can't believe June is almost over! Seriously, this is not good.
Tomorrow, I will flying off to Macau and China with the family, all 13 of them. This is the "family trip of the year", I reckon. Particularly because we're going to visit the old Hakka hometown of our ancestor, or should I say great-grandfather.
I can only hope it will be fun, in the way fun is for me. My ideal vacation is slow-paced and relaxing, therefore this kind of trip is not exactly my cup of tea. There will plenty of shopping though. I hope to come back to Singapore with some 'catches'.
Originally, I was planning to follow up this vacation with another one, to USA. But, circumstance changes and I lament the loss of a perfect time for a perfect holiday. I try hard not to think too much about the should-bes and could-bes, as the sands of time run out.
Oh well, there's still the end of the year. But then, University would have started.
Oh dear, June already?! Time is moving too fast for its own good.
I'm getting that anxiety attack when I saw the calendar, my short-live freedom is going to be over soon. I keep asking myself where have the weeks gone?
The thought of the deadline in August is enough to make me shudder. For the remaining weeks, I want to get back what I have lost. I ought to spend my time better, get it for what it's worth.
When one has been idle for too long, what one fears most is to take on real tasks again. I am not quite ready to give up on my sedentary lifestyle, where I am guilty of spending too much of my time online and doing "useless" stuff.
I don't know if I can get back on track and mug for another 3 years. University isn't child's play and I don't want to disappoint. Sometimes, I wonder if only the situation is different and I can really take a long break, aka a gap year. But I don't feel like working full-time as well.
What I need is a well-deserved, long vacation in some lovely, preferably cold country for a couple of weeks. Alas, my goal for this holiday cannot be achieved and the only thing I can do is to postpone it to the end of the year.
Gods, I feel messed up. I ought to be happy but somehow, I just can't enjoy myself.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is definitely an awesome sequel! It's another plus to Dreamworks Animations.
The whole movie is filled with classic scenes that have the audiences laughing throughout. It's fast-paced, light-hearted, fun and at times witty with nary a bored scene in it. The movie is always seeking to engage the audiences, particularly those who enjoyed animations.
What I enjoyed most are the action scenes. I love the rich colours and backgrounds incorporated into the film and the attention to details are astonishing. There is indeed a full-use of technology to make this works.
The characters are just as likable as ever with the addition of the evil Lord Shen voiced by Gary Oldman. He is one of my favourite characters in the way he showcases his sleek moves with sharp razor blades.
