Juan Or's Picks at the Big Bookshop Warehouse Clearance (10th-19th Feb 2012)

Mommy first know about this warehouse sale from shoppingNsales, then later Mommy got very good recommendation from Small Kucing and My Little Sprouts. At first Mommy was hesitant to go despite the good recommendation because the book cabinets are going to run out of space soon and that Juan Or only seems to show interest for certain books only. But thanks to My Little Sprouts' suggestion that Mommy bring along Juan Or to choose what he likes, yes, Mommy was determined to hunt down the sale!

See the photo above? See how roomy and crowd-less the sale is? Yup, this sale is held at Subang Avenue Shopping Complex, which is just right next to Subang Jaya's Carrefour. Probably not many people are confident of this book sale (even Mommy was not confident at first!) despite seeing the advertisement in newspapers, most likely because there is no indication of which bookstore is organizing this sale, and plus the location seems unfamiliar. Another good news about this venue is that the parking at Subang Avenue itself is free and aplenty!

Juan Or had a good time though walking round and round the maze of display tables. Off and on, Mommy picked a book and asked him whether he's likes the book or not. Only those that he likes (including books of Mommy's interest) will end up in the basket. How's the pricing of the books like? Well, in Mommy's opinion, the prices very much resemble that of the recent Big Bad Wolf book sale. The books are generally priced at RM1, RM2, RM3, RM5, RM6, RM8, RM10, RM15, RM20 and RM25. In fact, certain identical series books that Mommy saw in Big Bad Wolf are priced lower in this sale such as the square-shaped Mickey Mouse Clubhouse storybook - Big Bad Wolf sold it for RM5, but here at RM2 only! Even some hard-covered children's non-fiction books about different countries in the world are sold at only RM3. Too bad, even though Mommy was keen to get them for Juan Or for his future reading, but Juan Or said he doesn't like them, so Mommy dared not take the risk. There are also Ladybird's Peter and Jane books selling for RM7, but Juan Or is also not keen on them.


Here are Juan Or and Mommy's yield, starting from the lowest priced ones. Total damage was RM65.

RM1 each. Dirt cheap!

Each for RM2 only! Dirt cheap too! That is the Mickey Mouse book that is sold more cheaply than in Big Bad Wolf (RM5). The Nightmare books are for Mommy's leisure reading.

RM3 books! The Vikings book is a construction model book to which Juan Or was not interested, but Mommy bought it anyway just in case he becomes interested in it when he is older and since it is so cheap. Only the hard-covered "Wok Cookbook", "Vikings" and "William & Kate" books are Mommy's interest, the rest are Juan Or's picks.

Here are the RM5 books! Imagine buying a university-level textbook ("Medical Dosage Calculations") for only RM5!? Since the price is a steal (although Mommy's area is somewhat related but not Pharmacy though), Mommy decided to grab it anyway, who knows it might be useful in the future. The rest of them are Juan Or's picks - 2 books on choo-choo trains and one is a Scooby-Doo full colour comic book.

Here are the RM8 books - Dr. Seuss books (Mommy's favourites!), known for its repetitive and rhythmical sentences.  At first, Juan Or was not interested in them, but after Mommy read a few lines to him, he became interested. In Mommy's opinion, these hard-covered Dr. Seuss books at RM8 each are cheap because way back in 2007 or 2008, MPH Distributors' Warehouse Sale sold it for RM10 (but not the exact same Dr. Seuss title though). 

By the way, this sale accepts credit cards with minimum purchase of RM30.

"....NO!!...." for an Answer

There are times Mommy has to give "No" for an answer to Juan Or when we are out shopping and when Juan Or started pointing out that he wants this and that, then be prepared for a raging reaction from him!

Fortunately in Mommy's most recent solo trip with Juan Or (Papa was away for business trip) to a Times Book Fair at Fahrenheit88 (near Pavilion KL, opposite Millenium Hotel), Juan Or didn't give a raging reaction despite being denied of what he asked for. Well, Juan Or asked Mommy to buy him a box set of Thomas and Friends story books. There are 65 books in the set for the price of RM599 (yes, Mommy saw the same thing selling in MPH for the same price too!) but Times Book was giving a 30% discount, so the price became RM419.30. Well, RM419.30 is still and will always be too high a price to pay for a set of children story books (according to Mommy's standard). So Mommy told him "No! It's still too expensive after the discount!". See what this boy resorted to....



Obviously, the box set being very heavy (for a toddler's standard) was not a hindrance to make his request clear to Mommy!

Then he went on to put the very heavy box set into Mommy's basket of selected books.

And because the basket became extremely heavy, Mommy decided to browse books without carrying the basket, that is, merely left it on the floor while Mommy walked on to browse books. You know what this boy did? Because he was so afraid that Mommy may abandon the plan to buy the books totally, he attempted to carry the basket instead! Did he manage to lift the basket up? Well, yes, he did, but just very briefly only and with a lot of "Eeeeeee.......!" sound because he had used up all the energy he had right up to the last strand of his hair! ^-^ Strong boy! After he put the basket down again, he called out to Mommy,"Ai (Want) Mama carry!"

Anyway, after all that, finally Mommy ditched the box set away from the basket (of course when Juan Or was not looking!) and went ahead to browse just a little more and then headed for the cashier counter. By then, Juan Or was already distracted by some Ben10 comic books. When Juan Or realized that the box set was no longer in the basket, he gave Mommy a questioning look. So Mommy replied,"Ooooh, someone stole the Thomas and Friends already! Bo liau (No more)!" Juan Or's reaction? He accepted it without making any fuss. ^-^

Wind Warrior Blog Tour Giveaway (1st-30th September 2010)

Cynthia Roberts, author of her debut historical romance, Wind Warrior has something pretty darn dynamic for all of Adventures of Juan Or and Mommy blog visitors, friends and subscribers ... one of the largest blog tour promotional giveaways ever attempted.




Breaking into the world of romance fiction is a challenge unto itself but more so, when you’re a newly published author. (name of blog) is excited to participate in this venture with Cynthia and help introduce Wind Warrior to the world of romance readers. The bonus … every one has the chance to compete for not one, but five pretty extraordinary prizes which will include:



1. Romantic Two-lid willow picnic basket with deluxe service for two ~ $125.00 value

2. Succulent Godiva Chocolate Tier ~ $75.00 value

3. Exquisite Pearl & Crystal Necklace ~ $50.00 value

4. Amazon Gift Certificate ~ $25 value

5. Amazon Gift Certificate ~ $25 value



To view the gifts & read further descriptions visit her website at http://www.romanceauthorcynthiaroberts.com/.



Contest rules are as follows:

1. Leave a comment at the end of this post.

2. Tweet the following text: Wind Warrior by Cynthia Roberts A story of longing, wanting & a love so strong it conquers human evil. On sale now at Major Book Retailers.
3. Post the same tag on your Facebook and/or Myspace Profile.

4. Become a fan/follower/subscriber of the blog you visit.

5. The list of participating blogs are registered on Cynthia’s website and you may enter to win on every one, however, only one family member may do so in a household.

6. Open to ALL countries, not just the US & Canada (Yay!).

7. Each participating blog will randomly choose five entrants to compete for the grand prize pool where the final 5 winners will be randomly selected.

8. Winners will be chosen on Sept. 30th and notified via email by Cynthia Roberts.

9. All finalists must provide their email, name and official delivery address at the time of finalist selection to Adventures of Juan Or and Mommy blog.

10. All prizes will be shipped no later than Oct. 30th 2010 directly from the distributor.

11. The steps above will be checked to determine your eligibility.



Wind Warrior ~ The Iroquois Series ~ Book One

Leslie Michaels is a visionary, and only those close to her know of her special gift and the visions that come when her mind and body surrender to sleep. Fate has a way of righting many wrongs, and for Leslie it is a destiny that changes her life dramatically. But not before she is forced to flee into the wilderness to escape a murderous trapper bent on claiming her for his very own. Faith and a strong will to survive are her only companions, until she encounters Winnokin, the handsome Seneca war chief who first came to her in her dreams. Not only does he prove to be her rescuer and protector, he teaches her that tragedy can breed happiness and the passion to live and love deeply once again.



Wind Warrior plunges readers into the intimate depths of a relationship that unfolds like a live drama before their eyes while painting an insightful and intriguing portrait of Native Indian life in the 1800s. It is a story of longing, of a wanton need to survive all odds, and a love so strong it conquers human evil. Wind Warrior expresses with cunning words the simple, raw human emotions that hold readers spellbound and captivates their hearts.



On Sale Now at Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Nobel ISBN# 978-1-61663-162-8. Read more than a dozen reviews on her website at http://www.romanceauthorcynthiaroberts.com.

The Consequence of Looking Cute

Let's say, one day, Mommy is posed with this question:


If a baby is cute, which of these consequences is applicable? The baby:

A. gets more smiles from everyone
B. gets more pinches on the cheeks
C. gets more pats on the head
D. gets free food!




Well, for Juan Or's case....you can probably guess by now by looking at the photos below. Yes, that's right, the answer is 'D' - Juan Or gets free food!





It was one of those short night trips to the nearest supermarket - The Store Sri Petaling. When Juan Or and Mommy passed by the kuih bauhulu man, the man signalled to Mommy and handed out a piece of kuih bauhulu to Juan Or. Juan Or took it and Mommy asked Juan Or to say thank you to the man, but Juan Or merely kept silent.



After that, we went on with Juan Or still having the kuih in his hand, Mommy saw a small book fair section. Most of the books are bilingual cookbooks and either bilingual or fully Chinese children books. All cookbooks are subjected to 20% discount. As Mommy was browsing through the cookbooks, this was what Juan Or was up to (with his kuih bauhulu, of course!).......

Instead of concentrating on eating the kuih (well, he only managed a few bites at first), he took the kuih and banged it onto the shopping cart's handle bar!


Next, Juan Or gave Mommy the surprised look for Mommy to photograph as if he hadn't been doing anything funny with the kuih!

In the end, it was Mommy who finished up the kuih for him! Actually Juan Or doesn't really know how to eat this kuih. If Mommy continued to let him hold the kuih, he would evetually throw it onto the floor and end up wasting it! And by the way, in previous trips to The Store Sri Petaling, one sweeper lady (The Store's employee) saw Juan Or, then started calling him. Then she disappeared and later appeared again, this time with a kuih bauhulu in her hand to give to Juan Or. (She must have asked for one from the kuih bauhulu man!). However, for this case, after Juan Or took the kuih from her, and after Mommy pushed the shopping cart till we were gone from the lady's sight, Mommy had no choice but to take the kuih away from Juan Or and throw it away (Mommy hates to throw food away but there's no choice). Reason? Because the lady was also holding the broom and dustpan in her other hand!



Anyway, just a sidetrack, at The Store bookfair just now, Mommy ended up buying something for Juan Or: 4 bilingual picture books for RM4.90 each. Each book (about 30 cm x 30 cm in size) has waterproof, sufficiently stiff but bendable cardboard pages, and the colors of the background and pictures are very vivid and attractive. The pictures are large-sized and pleasing to the eyes. And surprisingly though, the publisher of these books is Novum Organum - the publisher known for publishing bilingual recipe cookbooks. And the kiddy books come in 5 themes: fruits, transportation, shapes, actions and colours. Mommy bought all themes except for the colour theme because the colour one only has pages with the different colours (and the words) but no pictures at all.

Juan Or the 'B' for.....BOOKWORM!

Remember how Juan Or encompasses the 7Bs - 'B' for baby, boy, buffalo (for his big size), bite (he's a good biter!), bising (for being noisy when fretful), busybody (likes to turn his head to see what others are doing when Mommy is breastfeeding him), and bulldog (for pulling his mouth downwards from end to end to make the bulldog face).

Yesterday, Juan Or earned another 'B' title - 'B' for BOOKWORM!

("I love books.....")

("......for a reason!")

No, no, he's not the bookworm that you think! Of course, looks can be deceiving with him holding the book. Instead, you know, it's that silvery-looking worm that feeds on books? Yes, that's right, Juan Or is feeding on books too! Juan Or bites books, just like how bookworms bite books!

This was what happened: It was 6.30 am when Juan Or woke up from sleep. So Mommy had to get up from sleep too to breastfeed him. And Mommy was still feeling very sleepy as a result of interupted sleep throughout the night because of Juan Or's constant waking up. Mommy offered him the breast, but Juan Or turned his head away (Juan Or seems to be auto-weaning himself from breastfeeding for the past few days). So Mommy decided to read a book with him instead. It was a board book with a monkey squeezy toy attached to it. After reading, Mommy left Juan Or to play with the book (he loves flipping and turning the pages more than reading the book!) while Mommy quickly catched some light sleep. Of course, from time to time, Mommy secretly opened the eyes just to make sure Juan Or did not put the book to his mouth, to which he didn't. After the light sleep of about 20 minutes, Mommy got up to take the book from Juan Or for keeping. Lo and behold, the book cover's corner was biten off!

(The bottom corner was biten off!)

(When the book is opened, part of the word 'give' is missing!)

Immediately, Mommy, with the voice raised a little, asked Juan Or,"Who bite this book? Why did you bite this book?" Juan Or merely stared at the book. Mommy looked around for scraps of the biten off portion and it was nowhere to be seen. "You swallowed it! Open your mouth! SEE!" And Juan Or obediently opened his mouth, much to Mommy's surprise because Juan Or will shut his mouth tightly whenever Mommy wants to clean his mouth. Mommy couldn't see any trace of book material in his mouth. Then Juan Or looked back at Mommy as if to say,"Where got!?"

("Where got, Mama!?")

Sometimes, Mommy doesn't know whether to laugh or to be angry.....

Turning the Page

Just two nights ago, Juan Or was playing by himself (with a squeaky toy) in lying down position on his baby mattress. So Mommy gave him his rattle just for a change. Sure enough, Juan Or dropped his squeaky toy and turned his attention at biting the rattle. A few minutes passed and Mommy decided to read a book (baby boardbook type) with Juan Or. Mommy thought that Mommy might as well start reading with him first before he felt too sleepy and became fretful. So after going through the first two pages, Mommy said,"Juan Or, turn the page now." And much to Mommy's surprise, although Juan Or was using both his hands to hold his rattle to his mouth, his right hand left the rattle (left hand was still holding the rattle) and reached out to turn the page! Wah! Juan Or actually understand what Mommy said!? Mommy was taken in by surprise!


Anyway, below is just a representative photo of Juan Or reading the book with Mommy, but in sitting position:

This photo was taken when Juan Or was between 4 to 5 months old.