Bames Live

Happy SITS Day to Bames Live!

2013-06-18T11:30:00-07:00

Today, Bames Live is being featured on The Sits Girls! (Yay!)

For those of you who may not be aware, The Sits Girls is a social networking site for bloggers who are... well... Girls! It is one great place to learn more about blogging, meet other bloggers and get to learn a lot more about life in general.

Should you be a SITS girl, I welcome you to my blog and thank you for dropping by. Bames Live is a personal blog that features book reviews, reading lists, simple recipes, and random (and mostly crazy) thoughts. I hope you like my blog enough to visit often.

If you like Bames Live, please feel free to follow on either G+, Bloglovin, Twitter, Facebook, GFC, Networked Blogs, or all of the above :) (the links to follow are on the sidebars)

Today is also my brother's birthday so to celebrate my SITS Day (and my bro's birthday), I am planning to do an elaborate dance of joy.... whoooooo!

Book Review: Easy Go

2013-06-17T11:30:00-07:00

Easy Go by John Lange
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was surprised to spot this book in NetGalley. Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors and I have read most of his books (at least those I managed to get my hands on). Easy Go is one of his earlier works and he uses a pseudonym -- John Lange. It is a very exciting story of an Egyptologist, Harold Barnaby who specializes in translating hieroglyphics.

During a stint in Egypt to work on translating receipts and other records -- meaning it was mundane work -- Barnaby came across a document which looked much like all the others until he tried to read it. The document was not making any sense and as Barnaby studied it, he discovered it was written in a very different manner -- it was in code. As he broke the code, he learns that there is a tomb out there that no one has discovered yet. This is his chance to make a name for himself as a discoverer of what is probably the last tomb.

Barnaby decides that he would have a brighter future if he went the unconventional route and "rob" the tomb. But he can't do it alone. He then makes contact with a writer named Robert Pierce. Robert decides to work with Barnaby and helps to build a "team" together. Lord Grover is their financier. Alan Conway is a very talented smuggler. Nikos Karagannis is a very high skilled thief. Then there is Lisa, Grover's assistant who decides to join them in their adventures. Together they look for the last undiscovered tomb of an Egyptian king.

John Lange (aka Michael Chrichton) writes a great tale. The story is exciting and is very entertaining as well.

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Book Review: The Blood Code (Super Agent #4)

2013-06-16T22:04:00-07:00

The Blood Code by Misty Evans
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Honestly, I have not read the other books in the Super Agent series. The Blood Code is a romantic suspense; with the story centered on Anya Romanov Radzoya who is actually a descendant of the Russian Royal Family. She had been taken by her grandmother to the US after her parents were killed and they had been living under different identities. She works as a geneticist in the US where she has been living for more than 15 years.

However, Russia's president Ivanov is blackmailing her. He has taken the one person that means most to her -- her grandmother. He wants her to do as she is told or her grandmother will be killed. Because Anya is afraid of what might happen, she tries to find someone to help her out by seeking a person her grandmother once knew. Instead she finds, Ryan Smith a CIA operative. Anya makes it clear that she will do anything and everything in her power to find her grandmother and rescue her.

During a nuclear summit that is being held at the Kremlin, Ryan goes undercover as an assistant to the US President. He is able to keep an eye on Anya as she plays the role of a "special guest" by Ivanov who keeps her by his side constantly. The princess finds out that the Russian president is planning to start a nuclear war.

The book is an okay read. The story has some good things going for it. However, it is a little bit of a letdown in certain ways. The story is interesting albeit a little bit unbelievable on certain fronts. While reading the book, I feel like I am watching those old movies where the heroes are running in front of the bad guys but do not get hit by the billions of flying bullets being shot their way. The romance is a wee bit too predictable.

All in all, the book is an okay read if you want to entertain yourself reading without having to connect the dots within the story too much.

Book Review: Doors

2013-06-14T20:25:00-07:00

Doors by Daniel Brako
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Doors is a book where the story is very much non-linear. The author does a good job with telling it. The story is about a psychologist named Dr. David Druas. He was having a session with a patient when one of his other patients, Hans Werner, barges into his office clearly very disturbed. Dr. Druas decides to attend to his very disturbed patient and tries his best to calm Hans down.

Hans Werner tells Dr. Druas that he sees doors where there shouldn't be any. He even points out a door that apparently is on one of Dr. Druas' office wall. But David does not see anything and tries to explain to Hans that he is probably confused. Hans insists he isn't crazy, David reassures him that he does not think Hans is crazy either. Hans is insisting that he has found a piece of paper inside a toy which contained some instructions written on it. Finally, after exhausting all avenues, David decides to show Hans that it is all a prank and that there is nothing in it by following the instructions on the paper.

After completing the ritual as per the instructions on the piece of paper, David assures Hans that he does not see any special doors. Hans then decides to leave. After Hans leaves, Dr. Druas suddenly gets to notice a door on his office wall that was not there before. It appears Hans was right. After the doctor decides to meet Hans to tell him he was right about the doors, things start to happen.

Dr. Druas is concerned that he may be going down the deep end himself and decides to ask the help of a mentor and friend, Olive who is also a psychologist. Olive tries to film David going through one of the doors. However, as he entered the door, Olive's memory of the event just got erased. The door that David has gone through is very different. He gets trapped in that world for several days.

When David manages to come back from the world he was trapped in, things are not the same.For one thing, Hans dies and the police think the doctor did it. But David insists he is innocent and decides to run. Now a fugitive with the police looking for him, Dr. Druas uses the doors to help him evade arrest. But then he comes across a Doorkeeper and things just got a lot worse.

Daniel Brako's book is interesting. The concept of the doors reminds me of Stephen King's book The Drawing of the Three which is part of The Dark Tower series. The doors open to reveal different worlds and only those who have invoked the doors can see them. I liked reading the book although I did feel that the story seems somewhat clipped -- that it may have been cut short in places, though I do not know if that is truly the case.

I would have loved the story to have gone on much longer with much more detail. That is why I only rated it three stars. Do not get me wrong, the story is good. I just feel it could have been much better if the story was more developed and there were more explanations about the doors, the worlds they reveal and how they came to be. I would like to know more about the Doorkeepers... I just want to know more :)

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Celebrate Small Things

2013-06-13T20:26:00-07:00

It is Friday once again. Celebration day! :)

Celebrate Small Things is a blogfest or bloghop where a lot of wonderful people celebrate their achievements during the week or their plans for the following week. They also help others celebrate their achievements.

I think it is wonderful to be able to have a day to celebrate things because it forces people to look at the good or positive things. And it is also a great way of encouraging others.

This week, I am grateful for so many things...

1. It rained yesterday! (Yay!) After so many weeks of temperatures averaging 45*C (113*F), the rain was really a big relief... Especially to the farmers who are preparing for the rice planting.

2. The gutters and the drainage system repairs at home were truly tested yesterday when it rained heavily, but both proved to be working pretty well. :)

3. Had some really yummy noodles as a snack and it tasted extra great because of the rain :)

4. Played in the rain like a kid! (Boy, that was fun...)

5. We got a new room cooler last Monday and it looks really nice and works like a charm

Whatever you have achieved, are achieving, or are planning to achieve... Be it baking those cupcakes, darning those socks, or fixing a leaky faucet... I think you did absolutely wonderful and I am celebrating with you.

Time to do the happy dance :)

Book Review: Lost Girls

2013-06-12T23:37:00-07:00

Lost Girls by Celina Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book, if the author's name was hidden, could easily be mistaken for one written by one of the top authors out there. It is that good. The story of Lost Girls begins with Maudie's (Maude Simpson) dream that she and her friend Jessica are out in the woods of Cornwall approaching one of the many ancient stone ruins. As Jessica approaches the hole in one of the stones of Men-an-Tol, Maude sees a dark figure grab her and that is the point when Maude wakes. Though it is all a dream -- a recurring one at that -- the ruins in Cornwall were the last place that Maudie knew Jessica was going to be before she disappeared.

That was when they were ten years old but Maudie had been very disturbed by what happened ever since. Many years later, Maude is still suffering from the effects of her childhood friend's disappearance. Her father's death seemed to have made things tougher for Maude to handle. She has always been unstable emotionally and losing her father puts on more pressure on her fragile mental state. Her husband, Matt, is the one steady force in her life that she can trust will always be there for her. The same goes for her best friend, Rebecca.

After her father's funeral, Maude had a moment when she thought she saw a blonde-haired woman amongst the many guests in her father's home. But Matt was able to show her that all she saw was a reflection of herself in a set of hall mirrors. Maudie can't seem to shake the feeling that she knows the blonde woman and that she may be her long lost friend Jessica. But that did not make sense. How can Jessica be back after that time?

She sees the woman again outside their flat in the city late at night. But the woman was gone in a blink of an eye. Her vision makes her anxious enough to start drinking heavily. But, the Maude sees the woman again and when she was able to get near enough to ask the woman what she wants; the woman says she is Jessica.

Is Jessica really back? Is the woman just a figment of her imagination especially as Matt remarked she appeared to be speaking to herself? Is Maude losing her mind? Her therapist, Margaret is certainly not telling her much of anything except to ask the woman what she wants. Maude tries to do just that.

Celina Grace writes a very exciting psychological thriller that has enough twists and turns to keep the reader hooked. The narrative sweeps the reader into Maude's lonely and almost insane world.

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Book Review: Dognapped?

2013-06-11T22:02:00-07:00

Dognapped? by Charmaine Clancy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are times when I want to read something different from my usual favorites (dystopian novels, thrillers, and science fiction) which allows me to relax and just read a light yet entertaining story. Dognapped? is one such entertaining book.

The story revolves around 12-year old Kitty Walker who feels so lost after moving to a new village with her family. Her mother seems to always be so busy with her books -- she writes books on grooming dogs. And her little brother seems to be the family favorite. She loves dogs and agrees to enter a dog show upon the urging of her mother. Luckily, even though her dog is one very uncooperative pooch, she managed to win a ribbon.

However, before the show was to begin, Kitty decided to walk her beloved dog to ease both their nerves. It was her very first show and she was afraid of being watched by so many people. During her walk, she finds a sick dog who appears to be lost. She tries to find the dog's owner. Most of the other people within the dog show believes the lost dog to be the famous Ozzie, but her owner seems to be unsure. The dog was very sick and one of the ladies participating in the show decided to take the poor dog to the vet.

Kitty gets invited to Ozzie's home by his grateful owner. She takes up the invitation and is escorted by her mother (though she had to take her pesky little brother along). It is there that they learn Ozzie is not really Ozzie. The real Ozzie has been dognapped and there is even a ransom note.

But something is very wrong as Kitty and her family comes home one day to find that someone has broken into their home. Although nothing of value was taken, the break-in has shaken the whole family. Kitty insists the whole thing is related to the missing border collie, but no one believes her.

To make things more complicated, a vet says that the border collie they thought was Ozzie but was not Ozzie has Ozzie's microchip! The puzzle is simply getting more and more difficult to understand. Kitty is determined to solve the mystery but she needs help.

What follows is a very entertaining series of events that leads the curious 12-year old to play investigator and crime-solver. Together with her friend, Jessica and a boy named Jack, Kitty learns that being curious can sometimes lead to being in danger.

Charmaine Clancy -- who is a dog-lover in real life -- is able to write a wonderful book that is both exciting and a pleasure to read. I truly enjoyed reading Dognapped? (maybe being a dog-lover helped with that). It is a great book for children, young teens and even adults.

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Book Review: 12th of Never

2013-06-10T23:23:00-07:00

12th of Never by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is the 12th book within the "Women's Murder Club" series. I have not yet read any of the previous books within that series before reading this one. James Patterson is one of my preferred authors and I have read a few of his books which I truly enjoyed. This particular tome is not one of them.

The story revolves around the members of the "Women's Murder Club". The story -- or should I say stories -- are fast-paced but they are so confusing and so hard to keep track off that I almost felt like throwing my Kindle against the wall. It is like watching some B-rated movie wherein there are so many stories crammed in there and things shift from one story to another with no apparent semblance of order.

There is a story of a cop who gives birth at home and goes back to work to deal with a serial killer (just awakened from a coma) who is playing mind games only to learn that her baby may have cancer, there is a fashion designer girlfriend of a famous football who gets shot but then her body disappears from the morgue, there is a lawyer that is prosecuting a crooked lawyer accused of murdering his wife and daughter, and there is some professor who thinks he has precognition and is able to "see" murders before they happen. Then there is an apparent romantic mess that I can hardly make any sense out of. The ending is just terrible and is clearly written as an afterthought so that they can keep the options open for another book.

I do not understand how an author like James Patterson could end up with a really below par book. There may be some people who will like 12th of Never but I am clearly not one of them. Maybe it would be better if he writes alone without having to be co-author.

My personal opinion is that if you are considering reading this book, I suggest you go find something better. This book is not worth buying (or even borrowing).

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Book Review: Don't Say a Word

2013-06-09T21:03:00-07:00

Don't Say A Word by Barbara Freethy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don't Say a Word is a mystery thriller though it is also about relationships, love, family, and freedom. The story revolves around a girl named Julia DeMarco. Her mother, Sarah, has just died six months earlier from cancer. She is still very much grieving and feels that her world is on very unsteady ground. Her boyfriend, whom she has been engaged to for a year, is pushing her for a wedding date. On their way to the venue where they intend to have the wedding, Julia comes across a photo exhibit. As she was browsing through the photographs, she is drawn to one which shows a very young girl looking out from beyond closed metal bars.

The girl in the photograph has eyes very much like Julia's and is wearing a necklace with a swan pendant that is very similar to the one her mother had given her. She feels she knows the child but the picture was shot in Russia and is of a child in a Russian orphanage. Julia has never travelled outside the US and she was not an orphan; so how come the picture was really disturbing her. Julia decides to find answers regarding the girl by contacting the photographer who shot the picture. However, the photographer is dead but has a son so Julia decides to ask him questions.

Alex is a famous photographer just like his father. He has just been released from a jail in South America and is taking some days off from work. A knock on his door brings him in contact with a woman named Julia who wants to know about a very famous photograph that his father took many, many years ago. The photograph is something that Alex is not comfortable talking about because a few days after that picture was published, his father died. And to complicate matters, his father made him promise not to say anything about that picture.

Julia's curiosity about a girl in a picture starts a chain of events that changes her life, her relationships, and brings her closer to learning about a mystery that threatens the lives of everyone close to her. Yet she feels compelled to learn the truth about who she really is.

Don't Say a Word is an exciting book to read. There are elements of a mystery, a thriller, and a romance. It is also about complex relationships and how they are affected when things change in one's life. Barbara Freethy's story involves many facets. There is Julia who finds herself making big decisions without really confronting what she truly feels and wants. She is grieving the loss of her mother who has been a major force in her life. The story is also about how grief affects different people in different ways.

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Reading List for June 2013

2013-06-07T23:45:00-07:00

Okay, I know I am a little late -- a lot, actually. The thing is, I am a very confused bookworm lately. I have so many books in my to-read list and no idea where to start making a dent in it. Plus, I have to keep track (more or less) on books which are about to be released or have just been released. Which ones do I read first? (I get a big headache just thinking about it)

Then, there is the thing about getting advanced copies of books yet to be published (jumping up and down with glee when I get them) only to find that some of them are about as good as the label on the catsup bottle. But I still have to read them anyway... Torture!!!

Anyway, I have decided (right this minute) that these are the books I would like to read this month. Whether I will actually be able to read them is another matter.

My reading list for June 2013 includes:

Don't Say a Word

by Barbara Freethy

12th of Never

by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Dognapped

by Charmaine Clancy

The Blood Code (Super Agent #4)

by Misty Evans

Lost Girls

by Celina Grace

I have included five books in my list this month though I know I will end up reading much more than five books for sure. I will post my reviews of the five books after reading them.

By the way, all the books are available through Amazon.com

Celebrate Small Things

2013-06-06T22:15:00-07:00

Celebration time, come on!!! It's Friday so it is time to do some major celebrating.

Celebrate Small Things day means that gorgeous people (like moi) get to make a list of things that they have achieved or are to be achieved during the week. It's also the day for congratulating others for their achievements. And the day to just do some dancin!

This Friday, I am celebrating:

1. Finding (and eating) the most delicious smelling and tasting melons in town yesterday. They were fragrant and so sweet and juicy (me mouth is waterin' again)

2. Learning that the old lady my Dad is sponsoring (and I am driving) to get her dental work done has finally been told by the dentist that all the major stuff has been done! Yay!

3. The grapes in our backyard is ready to be devoured! Yes, they are ripe for the picking... Yummy (me mouth is waterin' some more)

4. An author has given me an advanced copy of her book to read and write a review for. Yes!

5. My stepmom got to go on Skype to speak with her nieces who live in the US (she was sooooo overwhelmed by the technology that she just giggled like a little girl the whole time.)

Whatever it is that you want to celebrate this week, I am celebrating with you!

Congratulations on what you have achieved and what you will be achieving.

So grind those hips, tap those feet, swing those arms and just move your body in celebration!

Compassion for Animals

2013-06-05T20:49:00-07:00

It is no secret that I love animals -- I always have. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved playing with cats and kittens (most of them strays that find themselves within our yard), and enjoyed watching how other animals go on with their daily lives. However, I also need to admit that I find it pretty hard to appreciate certain types of animals -- namely cockroaches and mosquitoes.

This photo was taken from the Save Phineas Facebook Page

We have two canine babies that are quite spoiled. There was a time we even had a bovine (cow) baby or two but as my stepmother started getting sick often, we had to consider keeping only the canines. You see, bovines are very sensitive animals and taking care of them requires a lot of work and a lot of TLC. With my stepmother getting sick often, it is unfair to the cows if we are unable to provide them with the love and attention they deserve.

Our home is a menagerie of sorts. There are pigeons who have made their home atop a high shelf in our garage. They come back every year. And, because we keep two bowls of water always filled on the roof, we find peafowl, squirrels, cats, birds, and the odd monkey stopping by for a drink. Oh... And we also scatter pieces of bread every morning for the birds and some grains for the pigeons and peafowl.

These days we even have countless wasps and bees having the time of their lives with our house grapes as they are ripening. We never swat them away or spray insecticide because we have learned to deal with them. Believe it or not... When you leave them alone, they will leave you alone unless they perceive a threat to their life. For all the hundreds of wasps and bees that fly around, I have only been stung once and that was only by accident.

You may think me mad because I even go out of my way to rescue wasps that find their way into our home. They sometimes find their way in when a door opens or when we clean the windows. We keep a small drinking glass and a piece of cardboard ready. Whenever I spot a wasp indoors, I wait until it stays still and then I put a glass over it and carefully slide a piece of cardboard under the glass. Then I carry the glass with the cardboard outside. Once I remove the cardboard, the wasp flies free. If you think me crazy, I do not blame you... My Dad thinks so too. (LOL)

Just a Picture of Signs

2013-06-05T05:06:00-07:00

I have been driving my parents' childhood friend to the dentist once a week for the past two and a half months now. The thing with being at the dentist's office is that, if you are not the person getting the dental work done, it can be rather boring. Most of the time, I just use my phone to check emails and maybe make a Facebook status update or two.

Last week, when I was truly bored, I looked out of the window and saw some really weird store signs. They are somewhat typical of most store signs I find on my way to town from our village -- kinda funny.

So there is the sign for R.D. Tailour (is that British English for "tailor" or is it more like "tail-our?" hehehe)

And the next is for Sharma Hardwere Paint Store (the "H" and "A" are really faded)

There are other signs that are on the drive over but I do not dare click and drive... There is one for an "attechi" store which sells attache cases... There is a shop that claims they sew "pents" (a.k.a pants)

Anyway, because of the intense heat wave going on where we are (it is currently 44*C or 112.2*F) my brains feel like they have been dunked into a deep fryer so I decided to post this particular pic instead of attempting a serious post. :)

Book Review: Reign: The Chronicles Of Queen Jezebel

2013-06-04T04:18:00-07:00

Reign: The Chronicles Of Queen Jezebel by Ginger Garrett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although there exists accounts of Queen Jezebel and her husband, King Ahab in the bible, the book is more like a fictional story that has been a product of author Gigner Garrett's creativity and imagination.

The book begins with a disturbing scene where Jezebel pushes her sister Temereh to her death in a religious rite. The Phoenicians, on that day, had to sacrifice the person they love the most by throwing them onto a fire pit to die.

Ahab, the son of Orim and is the Prince of Israel, travelling with his father to Pheonicia to meet his future wife, Jezebel. Along the road, his friend Obadiah, the royal administrator, follows a girl named Mirra to a cave where he finds small bones -- the bones of thousands of children.

Ahab had been warned by Elijah not to go ahead with his father's plans but Ahab did as he was expected to do and went ahead with the marriage. It appears that Jezebel is not happy with what is going on. She goes with her husband to Israel but continues to worship her old gods. The couple has three children, but Jezebel is not happy with her situation at all. She wants power but she never achieves it.

All the bitterness, rage and hatred within Jezebel appears to stem from a very difficult childhood where she was an unwanted child. She was a twin that was never truly accepted within her family. To eat, she had to scour the garbage. She was unloved, unwanted, and unnoticed. For years, she had wanted someone to want her and to love her. But she has become disillusioned. In her mind, only her goddess, Ashera will show her love for her some day.

In the end, she managed to turn everyone away from her including Ahab though he had truly loved her.

The book is interesting. Ginger Garrett writes a believable account and she has researched the beliefs and traditions of the people within that time. She also considers the accounts in the bible. She tells the story well.

I find the book an okay read. I would have given it more stars but there are parts of the book where the pace starts to lag. As interesting as the story is, the story tends to fluctuate in terms of pace, all throughout the book. Other than that, it is a good book

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Book Review: Dream of Time

2013-06-03T03:31:00-07:00

Dream of Time by Nancy J. Price
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nancy J. Price has written a wonderful book called Dream of Time. The story revolves around a young woman, named Jennie, who wakes up from a coma on January 1, 1900. The thing is, it is all happening while Robin is asleep so she dismisses it all as a really vivid dream. But Robin seems to be dreaming an ongoing story like a television series. When she falls asleep, she dreams of being Jennie.

It takes her a while but then she realizes that she is "Jennie" when she sleeps and is "Robin" when she wakes. When Jennie falls asleep, Robin wakes up. To complicate matters, Robin lives in San Francisco 2003 while Jennie lives in San Francisco 1900. Robin travels back in time when she sleeps!

Robin decides to go along with whatever is going on mainly because it appears she has no choice in the matter. So she tries to make the best of having to live two different lives. When she is awake, she has to take care of her two daughters, work for a living, and deal with normal everyday stuff. When she sleeps, she has to live as Jennie.

As Jennie, she has no memory about her life before her accident -- she fell down a flight of stairs and barely survived. She had been in a comatose state for months and surprises hospital staff when she opened her eyes. After she is discharged and starts to live her life, she learns that her accident was not an accident at all.

Jennie finds a friend in Travis Donovan, a police officer, who escorts her to her home after she had gotten lost one day. Together they try to make sense of time travelling and how they can somehow use it to make a difference.

However, their efforts are taking a toll on Robin who finds herself getting swamped. She has to find time to be a mom, work, and research about the 1900s, too. Plus, she can't physically take anything back and forth with her.

The book is a joy to read. The author has a wonderful sense of humor and I have to admit that I was close to bursting out laughing numerous times. Although time travel by dreaming may not be to everyone's taste's, I really enjoyed reading the book. I truly hope Nancy will write another book with her unique brand of humor.

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Book Review: 14

2013-05-31T23:54:00-07:00

14 by Peter Clines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good read. The story is about Nate Tucker, a lowly data entry person who is looking for an inexpensive place to live in LA. At a party, a guy mentioned that he used to live in this really old building that had very affordable rent. Nate checked it out and found that the deal was too good to ignore so he decided to move in.

Nate had been curious about why the rent was so low and he was told by a girl named Toni, that it was because the building was considered some historical structure. The elevator though does not work -- Nate later learns it has never worked -- and the cockroaches are dark green. There is also a locked apartment on one of the lower floors -- apartment 14. But the rent is really low and covers utilities; weird or no weird, Nate liked living there.

A few days after he moved in, he meets Veek who lives in one of the apartments below his floor. She is the one who makes it possible for the building's residents to get some wi-fi. She mentions to Nate later on that there are a lot of weird things going on at the Kavach building. For one thing, the building has no power lines and is not connected to the city grid. Another weird thing is that Veek's apartment stays cold no matter what the weather is outside. The temperature never wavers.

Soon, Nate and Veek try to learn more about the weird things within the Kavach building. The building manager, Oskar, is not very happy that they are snooping around.Other residents start to join in on their "investigative" efforts. They learn some very puzzling things. For one thing, there are writings on the walls under all the paint. There is also a hidden underground room.

Things just get weirder and weirder. One of the apartments look like a giant fuse box with tubes and switches and dials behind its wooden walls. There is also a dead body in a hidden compartment in one of the apartments.

14 is a science fiction story that involves machines, other dimensions and even squales (whales looking like quids that fly). The Kavach building is one big machine that is helping to save the world. And like the original story behind the existence of the building, the residents now have to work together to save themselves and the world.

Peter Clines is able to tell the story in a very exciting way and there is a lot of action once it gets going. I enjoyed reading 14 and hope his other books are just as exciting to read.

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Random Acts of Kindness -- Helping Out an Old Man

2013-05-31T00:10:00-07:00

The Random Acts of Kindness Blogfest started on May 27th and is ending today, May 31st. It is sponsored by Wayman Publishing. As part of the blogfest, they are offering several ebooks for free. You can download these wonderful ebooks HERE

Random Acts of Kindness -- Helping Out an Old Man

In our village, there is an old man who has Parkinson's disease. He has two sons who now have families of their own and he lives with his wife. As is a recurring theme in a lot of places, most seniors are ignored, abandoned or treated badly. That poor man is no exception. His sons drive cars and their wives wear fancy clothes yet not one of them takes the time to drive the old man anywhere or to give him new clothes to wear.

The old man wears what can only be described as rags because the clothes are so old and have not been properly washed for so long. To make matters worse, his wife cannot be bothered to bathe or feed him. The man's Parkinson's is now so bad that he is unable to bathe himself properly or knot his pajama-trouser's drawstrings. To be perfectly honest, no one has even taken him to a doctor. We are simply guessing that what he has is Parkinson's because we had met another old man years ago who had been diagnosed with the same thing and we recognized the symptoms.

One day, the old man approached my Dad to ask about how he could go about applying for an Aadhar card (a form of identification) because he needed one to continue getting his old-age pension (that's all he has to live on).

My Dad told him that he needed to re-apply for an Aadhar card himself because the first one he applied for got lost somewhere and he was asked to re-apply. Because Dad knew that no one would bother to help out the old man, he told him he could go with us as we were taking the car.

On the day we were to go to town to apply for the card, we picked up the old man. I drove him and my Dad to the place where they were processing applications. My Dad and I helped him fill-out his form. I left both of them to go on another errand and told them that I would be back in a few minutes.

When I came back, the old man was still seated next to my Dad near the long queue. I decided to sit with them. After about two hours, it was their turn. Dad went in first and the old man was called in after him. The process of applying for the card involves getting the eyes scanned and getting a biometric print of all the fingers of both hands.

My Dad managed to get everything done without any trouble. However, the old man had Parkinson's and his hands were shaking badly. It was next to impossible to have him press his hand down on the machine that takes the prints. He was getting stressed and very tense because he could not hold his hands steady for a few seconds.

The young lady processing the applications was a very patient young woman who, thankfully, knew how to soothe the feelings of the elderly. She kept trying to hold his hands down without even once losing her temper or raising her voice. After what seemed like the hundredth time, the machine managed to register one good print. And the girl told the old man that he did just fine.

As the old man was trying to get out of than cramped little cubicle, his legs wouldn't move. People with Parkinson's normally have trouble walking. His eyes became moist as he seemed to be in despair because his legs would not obey his brain. The young lady then held his arm and told him to take his time. There was a very long queue outside and people were getting antsy but the young lady was calm and allowed the old man to relax and take his time. He tried to show his gratitude to the young lady though his body seemed to have turned into a statue during those minutes.

Luckily, his legs began to move and he was able to leave the cubicle. My Dad and I then helped him into the car and we took him to our house. The old man would not stop thanking Dad for taking him along. He was just so grateful that he did not have to take public transport and go alone. His eyes were actually filling-up. My Dad told him it was no big deal because he needed to apply for his card too.

It brings joy to my heart to see a young person being patient and kind towards an old one. That young lady was an angel. She may have not done much but her patience helped to calm the scared old man feel better. It is so easy to lose one's temper when faced with someone who can't do the simplest things. For an old man whose own wife and children would have nothing to do with him, such kindness means so much.

In this day and age, very few people ever take the time to consider that they will be old one day too. If they do not take care of their elderly today, who will take care of them when they grow old?

Celebrate Small Things

2013-05-30T20:41:00-07:00

Today is Friday so it is time to celebrate small things :)

Celebrate Small Things is a bloghop or blogfest where people get to make a list of things that they have achieved or are to be done during the week. It is also the time to congratulate others on what they have achieved (or plan to achieve) and celebrate with them.

Today, I would like to celebrate these things:

1. It rained last Tuesday and that meant we had two beautiful days where the temperatures were cool and not as terribly hot as before.

2. My stepmother has not needed her oxygen tank for a whole week! (YaaaaY!!!) (she has asthma and a lot of other respiratory issues)

3. The house grapes in our backyard are almost ripe

5. Our dog's brand new and shiny dog tags have just come in the mail (and they look really snazzy, too)

Whatever you have achieved this week, be it finding a perfect new shirt or unearthing a wonderful picture you haven't seen in years, or be it meeting an old friend... I am celebrating with you! (Me do ze happy dance! Wooooh!)

Congratulations! Let's boogie.... :)

Random Acts of Kindness -- Being Kind to Animals

2013-05-30T03:42:00-07:00

This is the fourth post for the Random Acts of Kindness Blogfest.

Random Acts of Kindness -- Being Kind to Animals

Random acts of kindness do not only apply to humans. I personally believe that kindness is appreciated by any living thing -- human or not. This is why I make sure that I treat animals with respect and kindness. Except that it can be hard to do when I see a cockroach or a mosquito (oh well... nobody is perfect).

Several years ago, there was a stray dog that sat in the vacant space in front of our home. He looked thirsty and he had a large, fat tick hanging from one ear. I gave him a bowl of water and some roti (flatbread). He ate and drank gratefully and left. The next day, he was back and the day after. Feeding him became a ritual for our family.

My stepmother then started to offer him lassi (a drink made from buttermilk) which he would drink with gusto. For months, the dog (which we had decided to call "Chawdry-saab" which, in local Punjabi, meant someone who ruled or boss) would come in the mornings, knock on the gate with his paw and we would give him a bowl of lassi and feed him some roti.

There was a time when a stray cow found refuge in the vacant spot in front of our home. It is shaded and secluded so strays tend to rest there. It was a scorching summer that year and my Dad asked me to give the poor cow a drink. So I filled a bucket of water and carried it towards the cow. Cows are big animals and one bucket of water was not going to be enough so it meant several trips to the tap. For as long as we saw the cow there, we gave her water.

In our village, most ladies of the house would offer a piece or two of freshly cooked flatbread (roti) to the birds every morning. It is a tradition that dates back to as long as my parents can remember. We do the same. Every morning, I would take two rotis, go to our roof and feed the birds.

One very hot summer's day, we decided to leave a bowl of water out in the small garden for birds to drink. But, the bowl was small and some birds decided they wanted a bath so the water would quickly be used up. Dad then found a larger bowl. But the sun was relentless and the water would become too hot to drink. So I moved the bowl to the shaded spot next to the spare bedroom atop our home.

Crows, pigeons, mynahs, peafowl, doves, and even squirrels drink from that bowl every single day. Because this summer appears to be a record-breaking scorcher, I even added another bowl of water -- there are now two bowls.

Being kind to animals is just something our family believes in.

Random Acts of Kindness -- Thanks to an Angel

2013-05-29T04:44:00-07:00

Today is the third day of the Random Acts of Kindness Blogfest.

In the summer 2009, my Dad had to go to the land registration office in town and I was driving him. With us was a relative who would be appearing as a witness. Dad needed to transfer some land into my brother's name.

The moment we got there, Dad found out that he had forgotten to bring along an important document. It had been left at home. I then decided to drive back home, get the document and take it back to Dad. That way, Dad will be able to get into the queue (more like a very disorganized collection of people -- aka a mob).

Driving home meant that I had to pass through narrow village roads. As I was about to take a left turn, there were two guys on bicycles coming from the other direction. As the road was pretty narrow, I honked twice to get the guys' attention so that they would move a little to the side as they were at the center of the road.

However, those guys stayed in the middle of the road so I had to turn a little to my right to avoid them (in India... It's right hand driving). The thing was, as I had to avoid them, I was running out of road. They were still clueless and kept laughing and pedalling. As my car tried to make as much space for them as I could manage, the right side of the car came pretty close to the end of a dirt side of the road. Unfortunately for me, below that edge of dirt was a rice field.

That meant the field was full of water that, in turn meant that the dirt side of the road was very wet and soft. I felt the right side of my car dip lower and lower until it tipped over and turned turtle. In a blink of an eye, I was sitting upside down and had no idea how to get out.

I undid my seatbelt and tried my best to open the door so I could get out but the door would not open much and I just could not maneuver myself to get through the door. To my surprise, a guy opened the door wide and pulled me out. I found that a small crowd had gathered on the road watching me getting out of my car.

I called my cousin because I could not worry my Dad (and he had no way of getting to me anyway as I had the car which was then upside down in soft and watery mud). My cousin came to take me home on his motorcycle. Through all the scary madness of it all, I never thanked the guy who helped me! I was soooooo stupid! I owe that guy a lot. I would never have been able to manage to contort my body to get out of that upturned car on my own.

Although a crowd had gathered and someone would have helped me at some point, it was that guy who made the decision to stop his motorcycle (he was on his way to work) and get himself all muddy and dirty to help a stranger he had never met before -- me! Yet I did not even make an effort to say thanks.

After getting home, I washed and changed, begged my cousin to make arrangements to somehow get my car out of the rice field, and called Dad to tell him I would be a little late because the car broke down. By then, Dad managed to hear the news that an accident had occurred at a particular village road and hired a taxi to take him home.

We then took that same taxi back to the land office. After all that trouble, the land office people never even mentioned or asked for the document that was the root of all the fuss.

To this day, I have not met that guy to offer my thanks. Wherever he may be, whoever he is, I hope he knows that I owe him a lot for helping me out when I truly needed help. He could have easily kept going on his way. He could have decided it was not worth it to get down into a rice field to save a stranger. But he did. And his kindness means the world to me.

Random Acts of Kindness -- Remembering My Mom

2013-05-27T22:53:00-07:00

This is my second post for the Random Acts of Kindness Blogfest.

My Mom died many years ago but I still think of her often. As I was deciding on what to post for the blogfest, I remembered my Mom and her random act of kindness.

We lived in the Philippines, in Pasig City to be exact. We owned a small shop where Mom would spend her days helping customers find the right Hallmark card (e-cards did not exist then), panty hose, or other small gift items like pens and fashionable handkerchiefs.

One very hot summer, my Mom was standing near the entrance of the shop just watching people walk by. She was a man buying a plastic bag of ice water from the small general store next to our shop. Bottled water was not available then and people bought water in small plastic bags.

As the man was trying to hold the bag of water to his mouth so he could drink, he dropped it by accident and the bag burst. The man asked the person minding the store for some water but he was told that if he wanted water, he would need to buy another bag.

My Mom, who heard the exchange, called the man over to our shop. She then took the drinking glass she kept on a small desk behind the display cases and filled it with cold water that she kept in a bottle under the desk. She then gave the man a glass of water to drink. And then she offered the man more water which he gladly accepted.

Many months after that incident, my Mom died. Some weeks after she died, my sister was tending the shop and a man came by. He was asking my sister where the nice old lady was because he has not seen her in a while. My sister informed him that our mother had died weeks before. The man then told my sister about how my Mom gave him a drink of water on that hot summer's day.

It was an indescribable feeling to be reminded of our Mom at that time. Yet, I felt proud that at least someone other than people in our family will remember my Mom and her kindness long after she has gone.

2013-05-27T11:30:00-07:00

The Inferno Experience: Florence by Sara Bruni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sara Bruni clearly loves Italy and knows a lot about the country of her birth. Her latest book The Inferno Experience: Florence is a great way to learn more about one of Italy's most beautiful cities -- Florence.

Being Dante Alighieri's place of birth, there are many places in Florence that center very much around him and the art his famous works have inspired. Sara Bruni takes the reader all over Florence while almost very lovingly describing every feature, work of art, famous structure, and statue of note along the way. Clearly, the Inferno's influence is all over.

In her introduction, Sara tells her readers that she was pleasantly surprised when Dan Brown announced that he would be writing a book based on Dante's Inferno and had been researching in Florence. It just so happens that the city is one that Sara knows by heart though she was born in Sienna which is in Tuscanny. She had always loved Dante's work and often travelled to Florence to "touch the stones, which used to surround him, to hear his footsteps echoing through the streets of the city, to soak up every last detail of his ‘bel San Giovanni’."

What I really love about this book is the way the author is able to attach the history of an object or statue or building without making it appear like a boring history lesson. For example, the way she describes the way the Duomo or the Santa Maria del Fiore was being planned and how architects were asked to submit their designs for the dome is just wonderful. It is short yet very interesting. Especially the way she writes about Brunelleschi's Egg.

The pictures are also wonderful. I love the way she has chosen a few but very beautiful pictures for her book. For someone who has never been to Italy, let alone Florence (like me), reading the book is almost like being there and taking a guided tour of the city.

I have to admit that I am anticipating reading her other books The Inferno Experience: Tuscany and the soon to be released Inferno's Hidden Secrets & Eternal Mysteries.

View all my reviews

*Note: Although I was given a copy of the book "The Inferno Experience: Florence" for the purpose of reviewing it, my opinions of the book and my review of the book have in no way been influenced by the author or anybody else.

Random Acts of Kindness -- A Toy

2013-05-26T22:53:00-07:00

From May 27 to May 31, I will be participating in the Kindness Blogfest that is the brainchild of EC Writes which is among my favorite blogs. This means that I will be posting about random acts of kindness that I may have bestowed on others or those bestowed by others on me.

Random Acts of Kindness -- A Toy

The house next door to ours belongs to a couple who live in a different State. To make sure that their electricity and water is not cut off, they let a laborer and his family live in a small part of their property for free provided they pay the power and water bills. The laborer and his wife have three daughters. They are a very kind and hardworking family and the laborer tries his very best to provide for his young children.

However, they are not exactly rich. They make do with growing a vegetable patch to help lower their daily expenses. And because the father is a daily wage earner, he can't really afford to give his children toys.

One day, the laborer's wife and two of her daughters came over to our home. She just wanted to have some company so my stepmother and I spoke with her while playing with the two small girls. The youngest daughter is about 8 months old and I noticed she would get rather bored easily and start to cry.

I decided to give her a small yellow plastic Goofy toy that squeaked whenever you squeezed it. It was pretty old yet still unused and in its wrapper. I removed the wrapper, gave it to the little girl and squeezed -- the plastic Goofy squeaked. The wonder in that young girl's eyes when I squeezed the toy was just amazing. For her, that little plastic toy was magic. She was so happy that she would not let the toy leave her small hands even for a minute.

When they went back to their home next door, I peeked atop our fence to see the little girl hugging that small piece of plastic like it was a treasure.

Book Review: Theodore Boone: The Activist

2013-05-26T11:30:00-07:00

Theodore Boone: The Activist by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

John Grisham is one of my favorite authors. The moment I started reading The Pelican Brief, I became hooked to his books. I enjoy the fact that while reading wonderful fiction, I get to learn about the law. It is one of the things that I love about reading -- I get to learn something. And with Grisham, I get to learn a lot.

Theodore Boone: The Activist is John Grisham's latest book and is the fourth book of the Theodore Boone series. The series is all about Theo who is the only child of two lawyers. His father is an estate lawyer and his mother is a divorce lawyer. Theo loves the law and plans to be a famous trial lawyer some day. He loves the law so much that he has his own small "law office" within his parents' offices. He gives advice and helps out friends as much as he can.

In this fourth book of the series, Theo is faced with a problem that has something to do with budgets. He is very sad to learn that budget cuts are forcing his school to make certain changes. But, as there are cutbacks on one hand, the town council is considering voting on a project that will cost $200 million dollars. To make things much more worrisome, Theo's friend Hardie asks him whether the government can simply take the land that has been in his family for almost a century just to build something.

As he and his friends are spending some time fishing on the property that Hardie's family calls their own, his dog Judge gets brutally attacked by men who claim to be surveyors. They even shoved one of the boys and was rough with Theo himself. Judge is lucky to be alive and Theo's parents take the men to Animal Court for cruelty.

After the case in Animal Court, Theo and Judge make it into the town papers. His "fame" makes him attractive to people who are looking for ways to convince the town's council that the project they are pushing for is not good for the community. Thus, Theo becomes an activist.

Theo has to explain about eminent domain and I have to admit that the explanation is clear and easy to understand especially for young children. The concept of acting on something that kids passionately care about is well presented.

However, the story starts out rather slowly -- maybe a tad too slow. Once the story picks-up though, it becomes rather exciting. If the book wasn't so slow in the beginning, I would have given it more stars.

View all my reviews

A Hidden Secret Of Dante's Inferno Revealed

2013-05-24T23:54:00-07:00

Today is like a really special day for Bames Live because as we are honored to have a guest post from the author of the books The Inferno Experience: Tuscany & The Inferno Experience: Florence -- Sara Bruni. Sara posts about one of the Inferno's hidden secrets - Florence's bloodiest murder. Her latest book, Inferno’s Hidden Secrets and Eternal Mysteries, is to be released at the end of May, 2013. As part of her efforts to promote her latest book, Sara has decided to post as a guest on Bames Live. Isn't that wonderful? :)

For the most part, Dan Brown’s Inferno takes place inside Florence, the city where Dante wrote about hell, purgatory and paradise, about a mysterious world filled with symbolism. In the book The Inferno Experience: Inferno’s Hidden Secrets and Eternal Mysteries, to be released Friday May 31, we will check out the background of all the symbols, codes and references that Dan Brown mentions in Inferno, so Florence will not hold any secrets from you any more.

When writing this book, I discovered so many interesting facts and intriguing mysteries, it’s hard to wait until next Friday to tell you about them. So I decided to tell you about one of them: Florence’s bloodiest murder ever.

When Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks are rushing through the Corridoio Vasariano Langdon remembers that somewhere on the Ponte Vecchio is the spot where the bloodiest murder in Florentine history was committed.

Nowadays the Ponte Vecchio is one of the most crowded tourist spots. There have been stores on the Ponte Vecchio since the 13th century. Initially, there were all types of shops, including butchers and fishmongers and later tanners, whose industrial waste caused a pretty rank stench. In 1593, Ferdinand I decreed that only goldsmiths and jewellers be allowed to have their stores on the bridge. Cellini, a 16th century goldsmith, is honoured with a bust on the bridge. By night, the wooden shutters of the shops make them look like suitcases and wooden chests, making it a very suggestive route to take along an evening passeggiata, or stroll.

What about the story about the bloodiest murder ever? Langdon is referring to the murder of Buondelmonte De’ Buondelmonti, whose death is still very much alive in the Florentine consciousness thanks to the plaques that have been put up near the place of the murder, each with a fragment from canto 16 of Dante’s Paradiso, in which he refers to the murder.

It was this murder you see that started the struggle between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, which caused lots and lots of bloodshed in both Florence and the surrounding countryside. Which is why it is called ‘the bloodiest murder ever’, as De’ Buondelmonti’s slaying was followed by so many other murders.

If you are interested in being guided through Hell and Heaven in Florence and in Tuscany, as well as get to know Inferno’s Hidden Secrets and Eternal Mysteries, be sure to check out The Inferno Experience: www.infernoexperience.com

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