Welcome 2018, Bye Bye 2017!

(Credit Source)

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful holidays. I still can't believe that 2017 had gone by just like that. Nevertheless, a new year means a new beginning and I wish you all the best and that 2018 would be a fruitful year for you no matter what you do. And of course, a great reading year for us book lovers! 

So, I took a short break off of blogging the last week of December and had a short vacation at Malacca, Malaysia. Have you been to Malacca? It is dubbed "The Historic State" and is a state in Malaysia (more info here.) Though a short trip, it was a refreshing one for me - lots of shopping and eating. I attached a few pictures of the places I visited for the inquiring minds. :-)

Christ Church Melaka

Colourful wall art, isn't it? It had certainly brightened up my walk along this street.

Jonker Walk is a place filled with ethnic and cultural flavour. The street here is filled with historical houses dating back to the 17th century and it has shops selling various items, such as textiles, antiques, handicrafts, local food, etc. I bypassed the above store which sells traditional wooden clogs as well as a few other miscellaneous stuff. Wooden clogs are such a rare sight nowadays and seeing it has definitely reminded me of the olden days as I remember seeing my late mother wore it when I was a girl (why, I even wore it myself for fun!)  

The Airbnb we were staying had a wonderful view. Our unit was on the 35th floor and this was taken from the balcony. 

I think one of the best thing about our stay is this pool, in which one could swim while enjoying the picturesque view of Malacca.  

Now back to normalcy (ha!) and reading-wise, I finished reading Without Merit by Colleen Hoover (review forthcoming) the last week of December and am currently reading One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards (buddy read with Lark) and The Caller by Chris Carter. Both are intense and I can't wait to find out what happened next. 

So, what are you reading? 

© 2018 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Misc. Rambling | The Breakdown by B A Paris

Hello! So I'd had a wonderful vacation with my family last week. In case you're wondering, we went to South Korea for the vacation (my Instagram followers should've seen some of my pictures there). It was our third trip to Korea and I can tell you we never got tired of it because each trip is special and there are so many places to explore and so many things to eat. I've to say our tour guide played an important role too since he is witty and had shared many medical knowledge with us since he used to be a doctor (it's a long story why he changed his profession) and anyway it was a fun, fun trip. I might share those fun experiences if I've the time to write them and sort out the pictures (well it might be a challenge considering this month is school holidays so we shall see). And of course, I want to thank you again for helping me in selecting two books to read during my trip. I'd only managed to read the top choice (The Breakdown by B A Paris) and what a thrilling read! And I promise to read Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (second choice) once I'm done with my two library books which I just realised are due soon. Meanwhile I also have three book reviews scheduled for posting so they will be up in the following days. 

---

HQ | February 2017 | 384 pgs

Source: Purchased

It was the storm that started everything. Cass Anderson knew she shouldn't have taken the deserted road in the woods back home but there was a jam at the dual carriageway and she wanted to get home fast under that dreadful weather. But she had and she saw a car was parked awkwardly in a small lay-by. As she drove past she saw a woman in it but her features were blurred by the teeming rain. With the bad weather and the thoughts that the woman might have an accomplice nearby waiting to rob or attack her, she decided it was wise to just drive off quickly instead of checking her out. The next morning, there was news that a woman was found dead at Blackwater Lane; it was the short cut which Cass had taken the previous night. 

Consumed by guilt for not checking out the woman, Cass's emotional state took a plunge further after she realised she has been forgetting little things. And then there were the frequent silent calls she had been receiving after that woman's passing. Did the killer see her on that fateful night and was threatened by her existence? Or was her mind playing tricks on her? After all, her late mother had dementia in her forties; did that mean she had early onset dementia as well? 

The Breakdown had an intriguing opening and the suspense never let go until the end. The author has done a great job in developing her characters and building the suspense and right from the start I could already sense the heavy foreboding and whether or not if I should trust Cass, given her forgetfulness condition and her unreliable narrator account as well. Here, we also understand how dementia is a devastating brain disease and Cass's fear and doubts are palpable as the story progresses and the suspense began to intensify. While the motives might seem a bit overboard to me, overall it was a well crafted story and a compelling read. 

© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'Help Me Select A Book' Poll Result

Thank you, everyone, for helping me decide what book I should read for my vacation. The list I'd put up consists of six books which I want to read badly but couldn't decide on one so I thought I'll leave it to you to help me with the decision. And here's the result:

(Top Choice)

Blurb from back cover: 

It all started that night in the woods. Cass Anderson didn't stop to help the woman in the car, and now she's dead. Ever since, silent calls have been plaguing Cass and she's sure someone is watching her. Consumed by guilt, she's also starting to forget things. Whether she took her pills, what her house alarm code is, and if the knife in the kitchen really had blood on it.

(2nd Choice)
Blurb from back cover:

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:

1. I'm in a coma

2. My husband doesn't love me anymore

3. Sometimes I lie

So I'll be reading these two books during my trip and I can't wait to devour them and share my thoughts with you when I'm done reading them. Once again, thank you for voting! 

Happy reading and hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead! 

Help Me Select A Book

June is coming soon and that means school holidays and a short vacation is in order. I'll be taking a short break off of blogging next week for a short trip and I need your help in selecting a book for this purpose. I'll read the top TWO choices (just in case I finished one, well you never know, right?) based on the most votes. And as for the rest, I'll still get to them at some point. :-)

Here is the list of books to choose from (click onto each link for more info of the book):

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle

The Breakdown by B.A Paris

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

Thank you and happy reading! (You may also wish to cast your vote under the comments section if you like.)  

Traveling with kids: 5 trips we're definitely going on

Cape Scott, Vancouver Island.

I have a lot of ideas for trips I would love to do with my kids, but I know that many of those ideas are not going to happen anytime soon (ever?), unless we all of a sudden are rolling in money... However, here are 5 trips I really want to do with the kids, that are actually very do-able for us.


1. Disneyland
My husband and I already went once, way before we had children, and I think it's going to be time for this trip pretty soon. The kids are old enough to handle the excitement and craziness of all the rides and crowds and fantasy characters wandering around, but also young enough to really get the magic of the place. One of the things I do wonder about is whether we should drive to LA from Vancouver and enjoy the scenery on the way down, take the train maybe, or just be lazy and fly.


2. Yellowstone
This is another place my husband and I visited before we had kids and it was such a fantastic trip . Deer, buffalo, hot springs, geysers, boiling mud, boiling rivers... just an amazing place. I want to do it the same way we did it on our previous visit: camping. I'll probably be terrified that the kids will step in a hot steam vent or something, but that's just part of the experience, right? My kids love the outdoors, hiking, animals, and camping so I think Yellowstone would really blow their minds.


3. The Rockies, Banff & Jasper
This is another great camping-trip I want to do with the kids. Camping in Banff and Jasper is fantastic in the summer, even if you risk ending up in some freak thunder storms (and reading a lot of bear warnings...). There's the wildlife, the amazing scenery, and the trails. If we end up spotting a grizzly, it'll be a thrill and a half for the kids for sure. I'm also thinking that if we go really crazy with the driving and camping, this trip could include a trek across the Rockies into Alberta, and a visit to Drumheller, dinosaur capital of the world.


4. Finland
When we visit my parents in the summer, Finland is right there, just a ferry-hop across the Gulf of Bothnia if you travel the Umeå-Vaasa route. I know the kids love to ride the ferries on the Sunshine Coast and to Vancouver Island, so why not this ferry ride too? The crossing takes only a few hours, and I think it could be a fun, easy way to visit another country. Maybe stay overnight in Vaasa and visit the Wasalandia amusement park.

 
5. Vancouver Island
This is basically our backyard, and yes, we've already taken the kids to "the island" before, but I want to do a Big Trip. Drive across to Long Beach and do that, head up to the northern end and Cape Scott, see some ancient trees, and maybe some whales with them, go for a swim in a cold lake, and burn some marshmallows under the stars too!

Traveling with kids to northern Sweden: 11 trip highlights

We had a great Christmas, traveling all the way up to Skellefteå in northern Sweden to spend the holidays there with my family. Here are some of our trip's highlights:

Getting ready to board!

1. Riding in a one-horse open sleigh
This was a fantastic outing planned by my mom. We headed out to a place called Camp Caribo (that's the spelling), located in Hemmistjärn, inland from Skellefteå. It's located in what really feels the middle of nowhere, with nothing but woods, snowy fields, and sky all around.

When we got there we got to hop into an old sleigh pulled by a beautiful horse, and went for a ride through the snowy woods. Reindeer skins, sheep skins and blankets kept us warm, and my daughter was snuggled up right into my coat, mainly because she thought it was so cozy. When it got dark during our ride (it was only early afternoon, but it gets dark early in northern Sweden in December), we saw the stars come out in the sky.

On our way to the slope!

2. Tobogganing!
There wasn't a lot of snow for our visit (not like the masses we were dealing with for Christmas in Sweden in 2009!), but there was enough for some seriously nice tobogganing! Our favorite hill was the slope near the local church, it was also well-visited by local families. My kids really got into it and had some serious fun wiping out and sliding. Nothing like playing in the outdoors!

Midday, in December

3. Hunting down a Christmas tree
As usual, my parents' Christmas tree came from the plot of forest my mom inherited from her father, my grandpa, so there's a real nice family Christmas tradition going on there. The kids got to be in on the whole tree-hunt this year, and came home with a fine-looking tree. My daughter said she came along just to make sure there were no wild animals living in the tree: she did a good job!

4. Decorating the Christmas tree
The tree was decorated on the 23rd of December with tinsel, my mom's hand-painted gold and red ornaments, some decorations my siblings and I made about a hundred years ago when we were in school, and assorted shiny baubles. It was a real treat to see my kids help decorate the tree with their little cousin, almost 2.

5. Seeing Santa
Santa arrived with the presents in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. That's how things usually happen in Sweden. My kids were a little worried about Santa actually showing up, rather than coming around when everyone's sleeping like he does in Canada. (I actually think my son has figured out the whole Santa-scam, but he's keeping it quiet for his sister's sake...). Once Santa did show up though, with a big beard and wearing a huge fur coat, it seemed the kids were quite relieved, but my daughter thought it very suspicious that he "sounded kind of like grandpa". Yeah, the magic is a tough thing to keep alive when Santa actually has to show up and deliver the presents!

Summer.

Winter.

6. Visiting our favorite summer-spot in winter
We drove out to my parents' summer house where we've spent time the last few summers, and it sure looked a whole lot different with the ice and snow on it! The kids were dreaming of next summer I think. I know I was!

7. The reindeer safari
I wrote about this already. It was an amazing experience, and I was so glad we got to see those reindeer up close and personal with the kids.

8. Tearing up Leo's Lekland
The indoor play-land was a big hit with the kids as usual. They tore up and down the slides and ramps, bounced on the trampolines and bouncy castles, and generally had a great time.

9. Feasting on pastries from Lilla Mari
This small coffee shop is located in an old, red wooden building right near my parents' apartment. It's a popular hangout, serving coffee, tea, and other hot and cold drinks, as well as some seriously yummy sandwiches, pastries, cookies and cakes. My son loved the miniature Sacher cakes, while my daughter loved the frogs. You can see an example of these edible frogs here. Basically, it's butter-cream, whipped cream, and sponge cake covered with green marzipan. A definite kids' favorite! (My own recommendations: anything with meringue, and chokladbiskvier. (Lilla Mari also has a Facebook page!)

Frasses hamburger restaurant in Umeå, Sweden

 

 

10. Finding my kids' favorite Swedish junk-food
Yeah, I know: junk food is bad for you. But I kind of did get a kick out of my kids going gaga for the chicken strips and french fries from Frasses, a very local fast-food chain that started up in northern Sweden in 1975. The food is just basic fast food, but it's cooked to order and you get to customize which toppings go on your burger. Ordering a "barnbox" (kids' meal) each for the kids, and a "skrovmål" (a burger and fries) to go, turned out to be a fun (if not 100% healthy) dinner option a couple of nights.

11. Shopping with ease for lactose-free products
This might seem like a weird travel highlight, but when you grocery shop for a child with lactose intolerance, it's a pretty big deal. My son is lactose intolerant, and here at home I can find lactose free milk, but lactose free yogourt, cheese, and ice cream (that isn't soy-based) is a struggle at times. In the Swedish grocery store however, I found a wide selection of products, including lactose free cream cheese, whipping cream, sour cream, ice creams, and a variety of yogourts. I'm hoping this is a trend that will eventually migrate across to North America and reach all the grocery stores where we live too!

Picture of Frasses thanks to Xanor via Wikimedia.

Traveling with kids in northern Sweden: reindeer safari

It's not every day that I get to go with my kids on a reindeer safari, but today we did just that. And it wasn't even difficult: we just headed out with my parents in their mini-van and drove a few kilometers inland from Skellefteå, just past the small community of Medle. Every winter, many reindeer graze in this area and can often easily be seen from the road if you're just driving through.

The kids were very excited when we spotted a small herd of reindeer on the road, and we all got out of the car to watch as the animals headed into the snowy woods.

Reindeer in Sweden are not actually wild animals, they are semi-domesticated and the herds are managed by, and belong to, the Sami people. In the summer, the herds generally spend their time in the Swedish mountains, but in the winter, the Sami bring them down to the coastal areas where it's easier for the animals to find food.

If you do head out on a reindeer safari in northern Sweden, try to do it during the daylight hours (and there are not a lot of those this time of year!). In the dark, you risk crashing into the reindeer: they are known to jump into traffic, and also prone to dawdling on the road, not showing much fear of anything. So drive slowly and be careful. Also look out for the special reindeer warning signs: black plastic bags tied to a stick and placed next to the road.

Packing for kids in fall & winter: clothes that do double duty

Packing for a trip during the colder months or to a wintry destination, is obviously different than packing for a beach vacation. If you're traveling with kids especially, all the warm gear you need can add up: boots, coats, snow pants... all of it bulky and probably heavy. I'm already thinking about this since we're headed to Sweden for the Christmas season this year, and I know that with lots of snow and temperatures that can get as low as -25 Celsius (or colder!), I have to pack a lot of bulky winter clothes.

One way to reduce the burden, is to pack clothing that can do double duty. Here are my favourite double-duty items:

1. A windbreaker that is also rain-proof
Some windbreakers are water-proof, others are not. I love the ones that are, because that means I can pack one jacket instead of two when we're headed somewhere potentially windy and rainy. Also, I love layering as a dressing-for-the-weather strategy, and a water-proof windbreaker is the perfect top layer in most kinds of weather.

2. Warm boots or shoes that are water-proof
Just like with the jackets, it really saves luggage space and aggravation if you can pack a pair of boots or shoes that can be used in the rain, but aren't "just" gum boots. All winter boots should be water proof, in my opinion, just because snow often turns slushy.

3. A sweater that can be worn alone or under a jacket
These are sweaters that are warm enough to wear on their own if the weather isn't too cold or windy, but that can also function as a liner under that water-proof windbreaker if the weather gets colder and wetter. Fleece works well, wool too, or any other favored sweater-material. The key is that the sweater isn't so bulky that it can't be worn under the jacket, or so thin that it doesn't do much by itself.

4. Thermal underwear
If you're headed somewhere with a serious chance of sub-zero temperatures, a set of thermal undies can be a really good thing to invest in. Using them can eliminate the need for bulkier cold-weather gear, by adding warmth under your regular clothes. For example, a long-sleeved shirt and long leggings that are thin enough to be worn under your regular clothes can make a day out in freezing weather much more enjoyable. The leggings are especially good of you're going to be very active, for example skiing, tobogganing, or snowboarding, since they can also be used under snow-pants to provide warmth without being bulky.

5. A towel that is also a bathrobe
This might not seem like a very necessary item for cold-weather destinations, but going to a pool is always a nice option when you're dealing with rainy, cold, or snowy weather on vacation. Bringing a bath-robe-y item that can also be used as a towel will save luggage space. Hooded towels work great, and so do highly absorbent bathrobes. When dry, these can also be used to snuggle in before bedtime or in the morning.