Promise Not to tell

Title and author of the book: Promise Not to tell by Jennifer McMahon

Genre: Shelved under General Fiction in Kino but for me, it is likely under the mystery category!

What led you pick up this book: My boss asked me to select any titles from the General Fiction category to publish in January Gems. I proposed Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon since it is relatively new and the storyline is good. My boos suggested McMahon's debut though, so I give it a try.

Plot Summary: Everyone in New Hope shunned the skinny and smelly Del. At school, she is bullied by other kids and being called as The Potato Girl. Whoever get near to Potato Girl, will also be an outcast. Kate is Del’s best friend but only after school. Kate knows many secret about Del and she promised Del not to tell anyone. Even until Del is brutally murdered, Kate still keep them as secret. Del's killer was never found, while The Potato Girl has since achieved immortality in local legends and ghost stories. 3 decades later, a girl is murdered the way Potato Girl were. The villagers believe The Potato Girl is back for revenge. Now, as this new murder investigation draws Kate irresistibly in, her past and present collide in terrifying and unexpected ways. Kate cannot keep this secret any longer because she knows in all those dark secrets there are evidence and ways to unfold the mysterious murder.

What you like most about the book: Whoa..the storyline is great, I finished it up in only one day! The main objective of this book is to get as many clues you can grab in each pages so you will guess who is the serial killer. Clues are tangled between the past and present , can't stop reading it because you will keep guessing the entire time!

Downside: This might be a spoiler but I have to spill it! Ok this browbeating business is too much..They are like 13 or 14 (cant remember well) but how come they treat Del so mean! Yes Del is poor and stinky but she never hurt anyone..And the damn shit thing is that Kate never help Del when Del get bullied so why the hell Del's ghost wants to help Kate when she is in trouble? Other than then, this book is so good!

Rating : 5 stars...Happy I ended my 2009 with a very worth reading book!

Melaka Bandar Bersejarah hari ke 2

Banyak lagi pictures untuk trip saya dan hubby di Melaka!

kopi sedap!

Buffet Spread

Breakfast at Heloconia Garden, Hotel Puri. Menu: Mamak Style fried Noodle, Potato Wedges, Baked beans, Mushroom Lasagna, hot buns with butter and marmalade, cereals, orange juice and black coffee..There are big arrays of food on the buffet table but I'm already too full to try them all! Makanan dia sangat superb, malah breakfast at the garden, di kelilingi pokok2 nan hijau, sgt tenteram! Lagi gambar2 around Melaka..enjoy!!!

View from the hotel's lounge.

Eye on Malaysia kena sita..dah tak boleh naik! Ntahapehapeee..

Trishaw or beca at Bandar Hilir.

Baba and Nyonya shops

Shopping magnets banyak banyak!!

A souvenir shop selling batik and art t-shirts.

A Coffee shop with many terracotta warriors as their main attraction.

There were many cendol and delicacies shops along Jonker Walk thronged by curious foreign visitors but this ice shaved stall left lonely at the corner of the street. I took a peek inside the ice box and saw many packets of flavored ice shaved inside. Strawberry, Peach, Wintermelon, Mulberry, Watermelon, Soursop, Durian and many more flavors... The nyonya, I assume the owner of the stall, scooped out the ice shaved from the plastic using a laddle and I can say, I'm already drooling !!!

Sensational Peach and watermlon ice shaved...

Muzium Maritim Melaka

That's all folks...I had a great time with hubby at Malacca and I hope you enjoyed the pictures! Hv a nice day minna san!

Melaka Bandar Bersejarah

Hello minna san! Dira baru balik dari Melaka sambut birthday ke 27 bersama hubby tercinta! Melaka sangat fantastic...banyaak sangat perubahan kat bandar bersejarah ni. Dulu saya pernah belajar selama setahun kat Kolej Matrikulasi Melaka, Londang. Masa tu umur 17 tahun... Saya sangat sukakan Londang, dari bilik saya buka sahaja tingkap dapat nampak Laut China Selatan. Dah 10 tahun tak datang Melaka rase terpanggil2 nak melawat kota bersejarah ini! Ok lah, nak cerita pasal trip ke Melaka

Inilah hotel yang kitorang menginap..Hotel Puri...Hotel ni bercirikan rumah kedai Baba dan Nyonya..Antik sekali!

Hotel ni dibina pada tahun 1874 terletak di Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. Kami tak buat reservation pun, alhamdulillah dapat bilik juga di sini. Kebanyakan pengunjung adelah foreigner yg warga emas. Saya dan sham je yg muda! hehe..

Kesemua perabot antik Baba dan Nyonya ni memang nampak elegant!

Bila ternampak bookshelves ni saya dah excited. Sesiapa sahaja boleh meminjam buku di hotel ni, sambil pekena coffee (kat depat shelves ni ade cafe) sambil rehat2 di lounge! Hebat2 juga koleksi buku di Hotel Puri ni. Ade Mike Gayle, Jane Green, Jeffrey Deaver, Jonathan Kellerman, Mary Higgins Clark, Martina Cole, Stiegg Larsson dan macam2 lagi...Maaf, dah saya kerja di bookstores, bila nampak bookshelves di sebuah hotel baba dan nyonya ni, saya rase excited sangat!

Lepsa check in, kami berehat seketika...Bilik kami sangat selesa dan bersih, cukuplah untuk beri kami gembira! Dah hilang letih, kitorang pun pi jalan2 ler..Mula2 je History Room Hotel Puri. Kat dalam bilik ni terdapat banyak patung2 yang menggambar kan sejarah Melaka seja dulu, lebih2 lagi masa pemerintahan jepun.

Kami ke Jonker Street..Di sini banyak kedai-kedai cenderahati, restoren baba dan nyonya, restoren portugis, bistro dan dereten kedai2 cina...

Kami ke Eleven Bistro untuk makan makanan portugis.

Starter ialah salad dalamnya ade nanas, betik, mangga dan hirisan cili padi dan ikan bilis goreng.

Kari ayam debel..Pedaaaaas!!!!

Green Curry Prawn..pun pedaaas!

Masakan portugis pedas lah babe! Saya tak tahan laaah! Sedap mmg sedap tp sampai nangis saya di buatnya.. sobs!

Deco Eleven Bistro

Kami sambung Jalan2 dan ambil gambar area Bandar Hilir. Memandangkan hari ni hari Rabu maka tak begitu ramai orang pun kat sini.

Muzium Islam Melaka

A'Famosa

Hirup cendol di tepi Sungai Melaka.

Malam kami tak buat ape2, hanya round2 jonker street dan masuk hotel lepak dalam bilik...

Layan cokelat Godiva yg Hanis beri (thanks twin!)...Itu shj hari pertama perjalanan kami ke Melaka. Banyak betul gambar yg dapat saya ambil! Saya paling suka gambar rumah dan kedai2 cina tepi Jonker Walk! Sayangnya, jalan kat sini one way dan sangat sempit. Muat lah satu kereta dan seorang pejalan kaki untuk bergerak serentak. Bila ade lori, van atau bas lalu, habislah pejalan kaki kena hon kuat! Sebagai rakyat Malaysia saya tak kisah tapi kesian tgk pelancong asing yg sedang asyik ambil gambar tetiba di hon. Memang untuk keselamatan tp apabila pandang muka mereka dari excited bertukar mendung, kesian rasanya! Agaknya ini adalah salah satu keunikan Jonker Street, kita terima dengan hati gembira...Kita sambung cerita hari kedua saya dan sham di Melaka lepas ini!

January 13

Jam dah pukul 11.35pm..Hubby dah nyenyak dah tidur, penat sangat kerja siang tadi le tu. Saje saya kacau Hubby...

"Sayang bangun...nape tak mandi terus tidur ni..bangun..bangun.."

Hubby : eh dah pukul berapa ni..? (tgh mamai dan kelihatan cemas)

Dira: Dah pukul 12...

Hubby: (Terus bangun dan nyanyi...) Happy birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you...

Dira: Hahaha...tipu je baru pukul 11.35..

Hubby: Ok tarik balik..nak sambung tidur!

Dira: Heeeeyyy, bangunlah!

Hubby macam budak2 je...kesian pula tgk die keletihan mcm tu..Apa pun saya akan kejutkan hubby kul 12 ni, sebab nak dengar die nyanyi lagu Happy Birthday sampai habis. Umur saya dah 27 tahun esok.. Selamat hari jadi Dira!!!