I started the book Breaking Dawn on Sunday and finished it last night.

My verdict is still pretty much intact, as far as I am concerned. If you've read all 4 books, you'll find a repetition of plot and formula.

The only thing I did like was the baby. I've always been fascinated by the possibility of a vampire child. There was a romance author (can't remember her name but I do have her books somewhere) who first started this concept of a child conceived between a vampire and a human. And then there's Blade.

Then Breaking Dawn takes that same formula and uses it. The only thing the author changed, making it good and appealing, is the fact that the vampire child can and does communicate through touch. It's not absurd since both parents do have some sort of extra powers. I was attracted to the baby because she makes life so much easier for the parents. Despite her amazing growth rate, she prefers to 'talk' by touching and then communicating her thoughts while still in physical contact. I thought this woud be so much easier and less stressful than the usual screaming and crying and parents playing guessing games.

See? Despite what some people think, I am fully aware of the hardships of being a parent. You try to help raise two younger sisters and see if you can still be oblivious to it all.

And, like parents, I do realise that no matter what you try to do or instil in your child, it is very much up to the child to choose to learn. You could teach them all about manners and respect but if they think they know better, they will never learn. Even if you try to teach them to be fair and see both sides of the coin, if they want to be selfish and only see their point of view, what can you do? And if they choose to lie their whole lives away, it's their choice. I'm pretty sure most parents don't teach their children to lie and cheat.

So, you see, part of my point is that, there is only so much we can blame on our parents. Eventually, when our brains develop and we start thinking, isn't that what we are supopsed to do? Think?

So if a murderer gets caught and he says he is the way he is because his parents beat him as a child to discipline him, I tell you, even a psychologist might go 'Huh?'.

Anyway, before I digress further, the best thing I ever taught any of my sisters was what I taught Nuril. She started knowing how to massage from the age of 4 (when I came back from the US and needed someone to help ease my back pains). She's also the most reliable person in my house to help me bake and we've already got a plan ready for Raya cakes. She does have her blonde moments but luckily they do not outnumber her logical moments.

I did use to worry about who will help my mother when I move out of the house. But if I can get Nuril to take over the kitchen from me during Raya, I can safely say that my mom is pretty much in good hands.