bethany725

Hey no problem!! I probably forget half of the messages on here.. It's hard to keep everything straight! Between emails, Facebook, text messages, private messages, I figure I do pretty well if I get around to half of them.

Things are good here.. We're going to Shenzhen, China this weekend, and Bangkok the next. Cramming everything in since our time is almost up!

How long until the wedding ceremonies start?

Hey, I was just grateful to FIND a hair salon that was actually written in English!

Yes I think we're going to really enjoy HK.. I like our apartment a lot, and HK seems like a really fun city with more than enough to do. Plus Mom is visiting in less than a month now.. yey!!

I have a few blog updates set to be posted this week.. I did them this morning and am posting them one day at a time. That way I feel more like I'm doing work instead of just being behind

How much longer do you have left in school now? And have you done like ii yet and bought champagne for when you finally graduate?? hahaha.. Is balancing work and school tough, or do you have it pretty much down to a routine by now??

Hi again

The trip to Delhi, Punjab, etc went well.. A bit of a whirlwind (we went to 9 cities in 5 days!), but still a good time. I was surprised with how many of his family members spoke a little English, which helped tremendously.

We are actually finalizing our Kerala trip as we speak! We ARE going to visit Periyar Wildlife Reserve.. We'll be there 1 full day, and 2 nights, and are doing an 8am-5pm nature hike there.. Then we'll be going to do a houseboat for 1 day/night, then staying at the Lemontree Hotel in Alleppey (sp?)

We leave Friday around 1pm.. So excited!!

How have you been? Anything exciting going on w/you?

Hi BookBee!

Quick question for you, since I know you like Melissa Hill.. I read her book "The Last to Know" and loved it. Now I'm reading her "Not What You Think" and not liking it nearly as much so far. Have you read this one by any chance?

Hi Ceinwenn!

First off, sorry for your work troubles you're going through.. I know I said it on the board, but wanted to send you a message as well. It sounds like a miserable experience.

And yes, I am feeling so much better now, thank you! The medicine seemed to really help so I'm glad I went as soon as I started feeling bad.

We had a bit of a detour in plans due to HK work visa processes, so are in Singapore for a few weeks until the HK process is complete. Then we'll move on over. Singapore is great so far.. I really like it here! So nice and clean, pretty, and lots of shopping and things to do. Hopefully we'll enjoy HK as well once we finally make it there.

Hope you're faring okay under all the stress of work related issues.... *hugs*

Hi Charm Sorry for the delay in response.. I was busy all weekend and not able to get to the computer much. Yes, Lisa Gardner apparently writes some things comparable to Gerritsen.. I haven't read any of hers, but I always see their books near each other in the bookstores, and on Amazon's Listmania, they're often in a lot of the same lists. No big deal.. I was just curious if you'd read any of her so I could get an opinion on if she's worth a shot.

Things are good here .. I'm really enjoying Singapore and we have a little less than two weeks until we're supposed to move to Hong Kong. So all's well right now!

Hmm.. Hunchback.. That could be interesting.. I may try to get my hands on that one too, for the classics reading circle.

Hi Charm!

I'm settling in quite well -- thanks for asking! People ARE really friendly here and its much bigger than my old forum; so much to explore and I've already found tons that's interesting to me! You've been a member for a little while here, right?

Hi Charm!

Love your new avatar, by the way.. you always find such pretty and fun ones.

Also, a huge "Thank you!" for thinking of me on my birthday. So nice of you!

Hi Chimera!

Doing well.. we are settled in for the most part! Even got our hair cuts yesterday from non-English speaking hair stylists.. was very interesting! The salon got good reviews and it was in the part of town we were going to be in, so we snatched it up. Had to have a translator to tell them what to do w/our hair... hehee. ended up ok though!

I've been so busy since the move that I haven't had a chance to catch up on the boards.. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day for that one.

How have you been? Anything interesting happening?

Hi Inver!

Yes I just started "Drowning Ruth" a few days ago and have been so busy I'm only on page 61. I'm really liking it so far though.. How did you get on with it?

Hi Jane! How are you? Thanks for the message!

Yes, I am doing fine over here... just so busy with work and family visiting and all kinds of hooplah. All fun stuff, but I miss BCF! I've still been reading as much as I can, so am about to update my lists on here, and start a new book.

How are things going w/you?

Hi Janet! Yes, isn't my profile very... pink?

I've been around more frequently the past week, but it's been in little 10 or 15 minute increments as I get a little bit of time. I come play catch up for a little bit, then rush back off.. not very conducive to conversation, but I'm doin' my best!

We are still loving Hong Kong.. We have about 2 more months here before the rotation ends.

How are you doing?

By the way, I still love your lil' Matilda avatar!

Hi Jewell,

I thought the Coraline movie was just ok.. the 3-D part was pretty neat, and the movie was cute, but it just isn't really directly up my alley. If you like whimsical circus scenes, fantasy adventures, etc in general, you'll probably love it! I'd say definitely give it a go if that's your thing!

Written and Directed by Henry Selick.. based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman.

Hi Katie!

Yes, I've read Slumdog.. I really liked the book actually. And the movie, as they were different enough to even avoid comparison for me. I don't know how to be all fancy and send you the direct link to my review of the book, but if you go up to the Search function at the top of BCF, and type in Beth's Bookshelf.. there's a list of all the books with their reviews. Q&A should be easy to find on there, if you want to read my full review.

What are you enjoying about it, and what are you disliking so far?

Hi Kookie!

Cute avatar pic you have now

Hi Lily!

Just wanted to pass along my reassurances as your daughter starts looking to move out.. I thought my mom would DIE when I left for college at 18, even though it was only an hour away. We were very close and she cried and cried. Oh, she snapped out of it in about 2-3 months, and started doing fun things for herself that she hadn't time to before I moved out. And I've never moved back in, due to job, then marriage, and we've become even closer. Now I live in another country as she, but still talk to her just about every day. I know it's hard at first, but good things really do come out of a bit of distance -- Now when I talk to my mom and tell her things, it's STRICTLY because I want to and not because she's just "there," ya know? And she'll appreciate you so much more when you're not always around. Best of luck as she starts looking for apts, and you stay strong -- you'll see

Hi Mac

How are you? Things are good here! Work is really busy but good, just keeps me off the boards more than I'd like!

How are things w/you?

Hi Mac! Things are moving along over here.. Mom's visit is finishing up tomorrow morning, then Raja's family comes in Saturday night, so I'm going to do a lot of laying out at the pool and reading in between the two visits.

How are things with you? Still staying busy?

Hi Mac!

How in the world are ya?

The holidays were great.. Now it's back to reality! Were your holidays good? Did you have lots of time off work?

Who is the girl in the picture of your avatar? Ignore my ignorance..

Hi Mac!

Sorry for my delayed response.. This has been a really busy week since my mom arrived this past Thursday! She's in Hong Kong (yep you were right ) for a few weeks, so we've been out and about just about every day making sure she sees some of HK.

Other than that, things are pretty normal here.. It's actually been raining here the last few days, too! I hope it's cleared up by now in your area. If not, that's a long time of rain!

I hope you have a great day... Thanks for your message and saying hello! I'm so behind.. just wanted to come stop by quickly before our day starts. Let me know if anything exciting has happened in the last few days for you!

Hi Paula! I'm glad to be back on the boards for a bit.. been so busy since the move!

How have you been doing? Any new updates since I've been so absent?

Hi Paula! How are ya??

We are doing just fine over here.. all settled into our new home here in Manhattan, and now I'm working on the job search!

What's going on over there? Anything exciting?

Hi Paula! Thanks for the msg!

Things are good here.. My mom's been visiting for the past 3 wks, and her trip finishes up tomorrow, so she'll be heading back home to the States. Then Raja's family arrives for 8 days on Saturday night, so I'll be starting the sight-seeing process all over.

How are things going with you??

Hi Sarah!

Sooo... I wanted to see if you still have any interest in starting up a US book ring? I'm back now and have quite a few books I could add in to the mix. If you're interested, I'm volunteering to help you with it and we can make a go of it together, team-style. Lemme know, chica! xoxo

Hi there Glad to have you unravel the mystery of the girl in the avatar! She's quite cute.

Things are going well over here, despite being a bit under the weather this past week -- I'm feeling better today finally! The job is great -- I have my first networking event here in NYC coming up this week. Wish me luck!

xoxo.. Hope you're well and had a fun day bookshopping!