The Liebster Blog Award (#2 & #3)

Back on the 18th of March (I know, that was ages ago), the lovely Tash @ TashBrilliantBookBlog nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. Thank you so much Tash! :D I can't believe it's taken me two weeks to get back to this. I'm so honoured and very thankful for the nomination.

Then, a couple of days ago, Hagar @ The Serial Book Lover nominated me again (which reminded me of Tash's nomination and the fact that I'm yet to blog about this). Again, thank you so much Hagar for the nomination as well!

Like my previous Liebster Award post, this award is designed as an opportunity for smaller blogs to get some love and recognition. 

Here are the rules:

• List 11 facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions asked by whoever nominated you
• Ask 11 new questions to 9 bloggers with less than 200 followers. You cannot re-nominate the blog that nominated you
• Go to their blog and tell them they have been nominated!

11 (New) Facts about Me :D

1) I was born in mainland China

2) I am a chili head! I absolutely adore hot food and I have a very high tolerance level. For example, Thai green curry or Indian vindaloo paste barely makes a dent on my palate.

3) My favourite colours are baby colours (like baby blue or baby green) but the majority of my clothes are black and white (just easier to coordinate for work)

4) I cried on my third night shift (which was also my third day of working) after I lost my first patient in a code blue. I was a wreck for the rest of the shift.

5) I am semi-bilingual - my verbal Mandarin isn't bad but my writing and reading is a bit sketchy.

6) I read all four Twilight books in one sitting over one afternoon - that is one afternoon of my life I'm never getting back. I know this is not really a popular opinion but seriously, saying I disliked the series would be a serious understatement.

7) I play the flute & piccolo but it has been years since I have picked up either instrument. I secretly want to learn to play the piano though.

8) I listen to a lot of K-pop even though I don't understand a word of it! :D

9) I read a lot of shoujo manga - don't know why but they are really addictive. My favourite would have to be Fruits Basket.

10) I'm not a big fan of audio books. Some of the voices for characters just doesn't sit right with me.

11) I'm a Leo :P

11 Questions from Tash

1) How long have you been blogging?

Not very long - only for the past two months. I started back in February this year. 

2) Why did you start blogging?

I had been contemplating starting a blog for quite some time before I committed. Firstly, to keep track of my reading and help me reflect on what I read. Secondly, to challenge myself to expand my horizons and pick up books that I normally wouldn't have read. Lastly, to connect with other book lovers out there - there is a limit to how much I can gush about books to my friends.

3) Favourite Book(s)?

So many! But number one would have to go to The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Closer runner-ups would be Harry Potter and the Demon Child trilogy. The rest of my favourite picks really depend on my mood. If I want romance, I go Nora Roberts. If I want chick-lit, I go Meg Cabot or my recent favourite Fangirl. 

4) If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

London. I was briefly in Glasgow before and I love how old UK is. It's a place full of history, culture and of course, literature. Plus, UK is such a short step away from the rest of Europe that I'd be able to visit a different country every weekend, something that's slightly more difficult here down under.

5) Fictional crush?

Well... I'm more into shipping couples than having fictional crushes. My biggest OTP at the moment is Doctor x Rose. My other giant OTPs include Cloud x Tifa (Final Fantasy VII) and Akatsuki x Ruka (Vampire Knight).

6) Favourite film?

Really depends on my mood. But all time go-to favourite would be LoTR trilogy (noticing a trend here?).

7) Have you got a quote you live by?

"If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place."

~ Nora Roberts

8) Do you have any other hobbies/interests?

Sleep :D and well, I enjoy writing as well. And some TV shows.

9) Favourite thing about blogging?

Connecting with other book lovers and finding books through recommendations. There's nothing better than reading a book and discovering to your delight that it does live up to all the hype and expectations.

10) What has blogging taught you?

Be passionate, be consistent, be disciplined and network with fellow bloggers.

11) Blogging advice?

I'm still a relative newbie but I think the best advice is that slow and steady wins the race. If you're here to get famous fast or make money quick - forget it. Blog about what you're passionate about and that way, every small achievement will feel like a success. :)

11 Questions from Hagar

1. If you could switch lives with any book character, who would you pick?

Can't really pick one off the top of my head, sorry. But anyone who finds her happily-ever-after and the love of her life would be good, thank you. :D

2. How do you usually get your books (i.e. online, library etc.)

I used to solely rely on public libraries because my mother was very strict with book purchases. Her philosophy (which is fair enough) is if you buy, there is never time pressure to read them whereas if you borrow, you are forced to read it in the time period. Having my TBR pile explode recently, I most definitely agree with her assessment. Nowadays, I'm more into online books simply due to my busy schedule & the fact I commute to work. I don't want any library fines! :D

3. What book made you really angry?

All that Glitters by Linda Howard. I get sometimes in romance, the male can be a tad too alpha. That's okay and I enjoy it. But this male protagonist was just being such a douche bag to the female protagonist that I don't understand how she could have possibly forgiven him and loved him back. Ugh.

4. If you could live in any fictional world, which one would you live in?

Hogwarts - you get the best of both worlds: comforts of modern muggle society as well as the magic goodness!

5. What book would you like seen transferred to TV/film?

The Legend series by Marie Lu!

6. What is your favourite book to movie adaptation?

Easy answer would be LoTR as it is both my favourite book and movie. However, I think my favourite adaptation would have to go to the Hunger Games simply because having suffered through so many disappointing adaptations, this is the first one where I went "Yes! This is exactly how I pictured everything in my head!" I cannot sing enough praises about it. 

7. If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life, what song would you pick?

The Ashokan Farewell. It's really sad but nice. :)

8. What are your favourite TV shows?

Doctor Who - Russel T Davies era. I absolutely detest Moffat's episodes.

House MD. How I Met Your Mother. Friends.

9. What are your thoughts on the New Adult genre?

I enjoy it if it's done correctly. But like the romance genre, sometimes it can be too generic or too implausible for me to derive enjoyment out of it. I guess you can say I approach New Adult books with high expectations and a very critical eye.

10. What book/TV/movie character death did you not agree with?

[Spoiler!!!!!] Allegiant's ending. If it had been a sacrifice for the greater good, I may have accepted it. But it was just such a waste for no reason what so ever. Definitely did not agree with it.

11. What is your favourite book cover?

11 Questions from Me

1) Favourite place(s) to read

2) Bookshops vs library: which do you visit more often? Do you prefer buying or borrowing books?

3) Do you notate your books or keep them clean and pristine?

4) Who's your favourite artist/painting?

5) Do you know a second language? If so, which one? If not, which one would you want to learn?

6) Who's your celebrity crush?

7) Besides reading and blogging, what else do you like to do in your spare time?

8) Do you also write? If so, which genre?

9) Are you a coffee or tea person?

10) When you are having a bad day, what do you do to destress?

11) If you suddenly received a monetary windfall (say $1000), what would you do with it?

Nominated Blogs

Monique @ Mo_Books

Kristen @ Pretty Little Pages

Itara Sosa @ My Midnight Fantasies

Alisa Kepner @ The Reading Obsession

Ipshita Ranjana @ Gateway to Different World

Lauren B @ The Hottie Harem

Kyendwarrior @ Eternity Through Pages

Elizabeth @ So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

Lakin Higgins @ Wonderous Reviews

Over to you guys :)

The Liebster Blog Award

Back on Tuesday, fellow book blogger Vicki W nominated me for a Libster Blog Award. Thank you, by the way, Vicki! The award is designed as an opportunity for smaller blogs to get some love and recognition, and I am very honoured by the nomination. :)

Here are the rules:

• List 11 facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions asked by whoever nominated you
• Ask 11 new questions to 9 bloggers with less than 200 followers. You cannot re-nominate the blog that nominated you
• Go to their blog and tell them that they have been nominated!

11 Facts about Me :D

1) I'm currently working as a medical intern, still not quite used to the d-word in front of my name so I avoid it as much as I can. 

2) My favourite past-time beside reading would probably be sleeping

3) I work best under pressure, so unfortunately, that does come hand-in-hand with procrastination

4) I am socially awkward and have had frequent mis-communications with friends and colleagues - usually resulting in me walking away convinced they think I'm a complete imbecile

5) I'm a big shipper. When I ship, I ship hard. Most of my ships are canon but some are not, but I stand firmly by them, such as Serena and Nate from Gossip Girls. 

6) My favourite genres are fantasy, romance, adult contemporary and YA-fiction

7) I love dogs but my mum's terrified of them so there's no chance of me keeping one. Seriously, a little pug is chained outside a cafe that we're walking past and she'd scream out loud - causing everybody in the shops and on the streets to pause and stare.

8) I'm a PC fan - and proud of it. I've got a Windows 8 laptop and mobile and I love both of them.

9) I'm a night owl - some of my best work happens in the middle of the night.

10) In the pursuit of my studies, I have fallen behind quite badly in some essential life skills such as cooking.

11) I'm too timid at times, often wishing I have a stronger back bone.

11 Questions from Vicki W

1) What got you into blogging in the first place?

Books! And my sheer amount of thoughts on them once I've finished reading. My friends and families can only tolerate so much of what I want to say before they go crazy with boredom and/or confusion (those two are not mutually exclusive!). I debated long and hard about whether or not I should do a blog and in the end, my love of books won out. That, and the fact I really don't want to alienate my friends. :D

2) What's your favourite book and why?

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The language is beautiful. The story captivating. And it has something for everyone. Adventures for the boys. Myths and legends for the girls. Themes of good and evil. Lessons regarding loss and farewells; power and temptation. Courage and the fate of the world resting on a small fellowship with the unlikeliest of heroes. If you haven't read it, go and read it. Don't be put off by the thick volumes. And don't tell me you've watched the films. Amazing as they were, it's not the same thing!!!

3) What was the last film you saw at the cinema and what did you think of it?

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and it was freaking amazing! I am generally very against movie adaptations since there are so many books that ended up butchered by the film (I'm looking at you, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief). But oh my goodness, this one, like its predecessor, just blew my mind away. Everything was exactly as how I pictured it. The cast was perfect and apart from one or two tiny tiny details that got cut in the film, I couldn't have wished for a better adaptation. Who knows, maybe the third and fourth films might even change my mind about the final book.

4) Do you have a favourite song?

With pop songs, I get obsessed with them for awhile and then move onto the next one. Soundtracks always stays with me for longer. The Gladiator, LoTR, Sean's theme from the Minority Report, Rose's theme from Doctor Who - they stay with me. Off the top of my head, I love The Ashokan Farewell. But no, not really. I don't have just one favourite song.

Art by Mara T from ArtDungeon
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5) If you could live in any fictional world (i.e. Narnia) where would you choose?

Hogwarts - you'd get the best of both worlds: modern muggle society as well as the magic goodness. :D

6) Who would your dream fictional husband/wife be?

There's so many! And I generally like pairings - so I hate to break a couple up. So if I had to settle for one, it would probably be Sirius Black - as how I picture him and NOT the film version. Hm... or maybe someone else, I don't know, I'm a bit indecisive. 

7) Do you have a favourite cartoon character?

Eeyore - I just want to hug him and never let go.

8) Do you prefer eBooks or physical ones? Which do you read most often?

I prefer physical books, definitely. There's just something about holding a book in my hand and physically flipping the pages that makes me appreciate it more. Unfortunately, due to the inconvenience of lugging big books to and from work (I work in a hospital, rarely get breaks so I'd only get to read on the way there and back), I've found myself reading ebooks a lot more. Recently, I got back to reading paperbacks and there are so much about physical books that I miss. When reading ebooks, I lose perspective as to how far I'm into a book. Plus, I find myself appreciating the language more when my eyes are tracing the words on a page. 

9) What's your favourite TV show?

Ah, I rarely follow TV shows and those that I do, I enjoy equally. Some favoourites are sitcoms such as How I Met Your Mother, Friends, the Big Bang Theory. Plus, I recently watched Broadchurch and it is something I wouldn't normally watch but oh my goodness, it was amazing. I finished all 8 episodes in a day and a half - it was that good. But if I had to pick a favourite TV show, it would have to be Doctor Who the Russel T. Davies era (RTD for short). I hate what Moffat's doing at the moment. Nine and Ten will forever be my doctors. Plus, Rose Tyler. Doctor x Rose = my OTP. Always.

10) Why did you choose your blog name? Is there a story behind it?

My friends always joke I'm a bit OCD and I figured that sort of bleeds over into my reading too.

11) In the film of your life, who would play you? And what would you call it?

The witless ramblings of a fool - and I honestly don't know who I'd like to play me. There aren't that many Asian actresses known in the Western culture and among them, I can't find one who closely resembles me. 

11 Questions from Me

1) Favourite place(s) to read
2) Bookshops vs library: which do you visit more often? Do you prefer buying or borrowing books?
3) Do you notate your books or keep them clean and pristine?
4) Who's your favourite artist?
5) Do you know a second language? If so, which one? If not, which one would you want to learn?
6) Who's your celebrity crush?
7) Besides reading and blogging, what else do you like to do in your spare time?
8) Do you also write? If so, which genre?
9) Are you a coffee or tea person?
10) When you are having a bad day, what do you do to destress?
11) If you suddenly received a monetary windfall (say $1,000), what would you do with it?

Nominated Blogs

1) Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
2) Katie @ Book Savvy
3) Rimsha Salam @ Ramblings of a Bookworm
4) Kimi, Beryl & Audrey @ Geeky Chiquitas
5) Sashoy Wilson @ Disappear into Reading
6) Jessica @ The Pyschotic Nerd
7) Ellie @ Ellie's Reading Nook
8) Sarah @ Snurtle Reader
9) Mary @ Reading and Running

Handball over to you guys :D