Merdeka!

Happy birthday, Malaysia! 50 and still going on strong.

There's been a lot of hooha about this year's Merdeka celebration and so I decided to test myself to recite the Rukun Negara. I stumbled, but passed without too much embarassment.

I've been enjoying the long weekend. This time, Zane and I didn't go anywhere. We thought there might be a whole herd of people at the usual touristy spots. So we decided to stay home.

At least, I managed to finish reading Harry Potter No. 7...and cried shamelessly doing it in the final chapters...(warning: spoilers ahead)

I was glad that Harry met Dumbledore once again for some sage advice. I was glad that Snape turned out to be a good guy. I was touched that he loved Lily so much that he had her Patronus after she died. And the main tear-jerker was that Harry still had Ron and Hermione by his side after Voldemort died.

It was just fantastic how JK Rowling just planned everything from Harry Potter No. 1 to No. 7. The way Dumbledore died, who disarmed him, and who uttered the Killing curse, about Draco Malfoy's wand, Snape and Lily's love, about choosing Horcuxes over Hallows, etc.

She is just brilliant...I wonder what she'll come up with next to cap this!