BookCrossing

 

Today I checked out BookCrossing.

I rarely go to malls such as I Utama, or The Curve etc, but today made a special trip to 1 Utama to investigate BookCrossing. This is an international read and exchange scheme for book lovers and is already in 120 countries. The idea is you leave books in public places for people to find and ultimately spread the joy of reading. You can register on the internet, and then mark each book with its own ID number, then leave the books at wild places or an Official BookCrossing Zone (OBCZ) .

BookCrossing in 1 Utama is one of the official places. It's located on the ground floor outside Parkson. There is a small book case and a lounge area for people to sit and read - although the people I saw there were just using the seats for a rest or to read the newspaper!

no one looking at the cupboard

 

the cupboard

someone approaches the cupboard

and opens it !!

The books' journey can be tracked online at www.bookcrossing.com by tagging the books with unique identity numbers that record where the book has been and who has read them.

As mentioned above, you can leave books at wild places, such as on a train or bus, on a park bench, or you can simply pass it to a friend.

1 Utama is the first mall in Asia to set up an area dedicated to the community-based campaign, in partnership with BookCrossing Inc and Malaysia's biggest bookstore chain, MPH Bookstores. It's called BookCross@1U . Every month, 50 books sponsored by MPH will be released and placed in the lounge.

I signed up for BookCrossing on their website, and then registered the first book I wanted to 'free'. I registered for the book's ID number online and then wrote the details inside the front cover. You can also buy preprinted labels, or if you are lucky, pick them up in the lounge (there were none when I went).

If you take a book, don't forget to make a journal entry on the website. An email will then be sent to the person who released the book so he or she can see the book's journey.

It's a great idea and I just hope people don't abuse it, and take books and leave rubbishy ones.

See more at www.bookcrossing.com

And also Bibliobuli's blog

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© Liz Price <br>
No reproduction without permission

bird flu free cakes

I did some grocery shopping before lunch which is always a bad move, as you overbuy on junk. Saw some cakes on special offer and popped them into my basket. It was only when I got home and was putting them away that I noticed a new logo next to the halal logo. It said

"Bird flu, Avian influenza, FREE"

Is this another gimmick by Jakim? Or is it cos the cakes are oddly named London roll ?

Anyway I haven't opened them yet and I'm sure they will be horrible as cheap cakes and biscuits are normally lousy in Msia !!! But I'm tempted to keep the box as a souvenir!!!

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© Liz Price <br>
No reproduction without permission

Haze 2009

Today, July 13, the haze is the worst I've seen it this year. When I got up and opened my curtains and windows, I immediately started sneezing. And my nose was irritated by the acrid smell. I escaped to Mid Valley.

I came out of Mid Valley around 12.30pm and found the haze had worsened. Brickfields was just a foggy shadow. And the view from my apartment has gone. KLCC and Menara Tower have completely disappeared, Times Square is just a faint shadow. And the air smells awful.



view on a good day



no view

© Liz Price <br>
No reproduction without permission