“Every time we make the decision to love someone, we open ourselves to great suffering, because those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen
It's the time of the year again for all of us to reflect on the stuff we did the whole year. However, I won't dwell much on that cos that's what everyone will say and it gets kinda boring after some time :-P
So, I'll start this reflection of mine with review of an old movie which I haven't watched before. The movie is entitled "Marley & Me"..
Yup, I know it's an old movie but I hardly have time to watch movie these days :-S
Anyway, the most poignant part (and I daresay the saddest part) is when John held on to Marley's leg while whispering that he's the best dog and everything. Tears just rolled down my cheeks though I suspect it's due to leaky airplane ceiling :-P
What does movie review got to do with near year stuff?
Well, do read on then...
To me, the movie does not only reflect on the relationship between a dog and a man but it can also signify the losses and the immeasurable pain in our heart when we're apart from our loved ones. I won't dwell too much on this also. But on this year end celebration, please spare a thought for your loved ones no matter how far they are. Most importantly, keep them in your thoughts.
Just try your best to keep in touch and bridge the distance no matter how impossible it may sound.
Well ladies and gentlemen, with that, i would like to say Bye Bye 2010 and Hello 2011 :-)
It's Christmas Eve and I am feeling excited all over.
I’m not sure why and I don’t care... I feel more excited over Christmas than Chinese New Year :-P
Perhaps it’s the environment or all the fantastical ideas (in my head at least) when listening to Christmas tunes... I wouldn’t have thought that someone in their right sane mind (in tropical country like mine) would be that excited at all...
What will I do on Christmas... hmm... that is something which I have never given a second thought of so far... I think normal stuff like going out and etc... Getting stuck in jam and fighting to get a place at eateries out there... all the usual drill...
All those stuff when the most meaningful Christmas is to spend it at home, with your loved ones within reach (physically or telepathically :-P)...
Perhaps, just perhaps if I’m crazy enough, I’ll wear my winter clothes and turning on the aircon full blast... Sipping hot chocolate and snuggles into my comfy reading chair... reading or just admiring my books... Xmas music playing at the background...
Well, I've just posted a book entitled "Home by Marilynne Robinson"... I loved the song "Home by Daughtry" and now... I just can't stop listening to another song entitled "Home by Michael Bublé"..
See the similarities? All of the above have their core hinged around the word "HOME". So, instead of counting down Christmas, which some people are wont to do, it's better to spend it with your loved ones... perhaps a simple lunch and/or dinner would suffice ;-)
So with that, I would like to wish each and every one of you... A Very Merry Christmas!
A Happy, Wealthy & Prosperous New Year 2011 (I’ve combined both New Year and Chinese New Year wishes into one) :-P
Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm
May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know
And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that
Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home
Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home
And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
'Cause this was not your dream
But you always believed in me
Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home
And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know
Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home
Truth to be told, I nearly abandoned this book and kept it till cows come home had not I packed this book together with another new book on one of my biz trips.
The story by itself has really simple plot; albeit a lengthy one. An old dad (Rev Boughton) clinging to the hope of seeing his long lost son (Jack) before he depart from this earth. With this premise, we're introduced to Jack's sister (Glory) who undertook the responsibility of caring for their old dad. Thrown into the mix is Rev Boughton's eccentric relationship with his old friend; Rev Ames (and his family) who took over the church's pulpit upon Boughton's retirement.
However, it is with this simple chemistry that Marilynne built her characters with warts and all. From the seemingly perfect Rev Boughton's inability to denounce his fatherly love for Jack despite him leaving them and not returning for his own Mom's funeral; Glory's unsuccessful relationship with her fiancé; Ames grappling with his consistent negative outlook on Jack. All right down to the reasons Jack left his home, loitered and wasted his life before he is able to redeem himself upon meeting Della (his wife).
One point worth noting is that the whole story revolves around Jack (who left again at the end), the supposedly antagonist in this lovingly written novel. Yes, lovingly... First time I used such term to describe a novel. I surprised myself this time :-P
"Home" is essentially a story about family coming together and helping each other to go through various diversities despite any shortcomings.
By the end part of the book (last quarter of it), I was basically glued to the pages as it reveals the realization that old people will eventually leave the world for good (that got me teary eyed and getting goose bumps on flight), the vacuum of seeing your family members leaving the "home nest" one by one; and finally, the ultimate realization that no matter how close a family is, there will always be distances and other priorities in life.
I can go on with all the subtleties and hints ingrained in this novel but it won't do any good because a good book like this is worth every minute of your time to savour.
A really well written story with emphasis on human flaws; strengthening the fact that we humans are sinners and are never perfect.
P/s: The ultimate shocker of this story is revealed at the very end of the novel in which Della is actually married to Jack with a son called Robert. Not only that, Della is a well raised good Christian of Negro descent; a fact almost unheard of during the anti-black movement in America.
Personal rating: 9 out of 10 (really slow opening part)
Cons:
1) Storyline is really too slow; but it picked up towards the end.
This is the season to be jolly. Well, jolly good it is because it's the end of the year and you can see Christmas tree (fake or real) everywhere.
Even Starbucks have their oh-so-cute tumblers that basically scream MERRY CHRISTMAS :-D
I’m so lucky to have a few of this year's cutest tumblers (more snowflakes) and proudly using it with glee in my heart and smile plastered on my face.
It is also the time of the year when the best thing you can do is to play Christmas songs and let your mind wander and wonder on the beauty of seeing sky filled with snowflakes and white powdery snow blanketing the whole scenery. OKOK, I know I’m staying in a yearlong hot and humid country but it’s the year end and my mind wanders everywhere; up north and down south in a blink of an eyelid. :-P
So should I look back and contemplate if I’ve completed my 2010 resolution? Hmmm... I don't think I will because I have everything I want and need right around me... family, friends and etc... plus I don’t have a resolution in the first place. In short, I am contented (as of now) and its the right moment to just sit back and savour every moment right till the stroke of midnight on 31st Dec 2010.
Have a Merry Little Christmas everyone :-)
P/s #1: just in case you're still not in the mood, try listening to the following evergreen Christmas songs:
Jingle Bells by Frank Sinatra
Santa Baby by Pink Martini (very cheeky song; this one :-P)
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) by Barbra Streisand
Silent Night by Nat King Cole
P/s #2: Cute Mister Snowman and Mister Santa guarding my precious bookmarks. :-P
P/s #3: Cute angels pinned on the curtain of the decorative cottage windows.
Unfortunately my blog has been left unattended for so long that if it’s a physical entity, spiders and ants will invade and call it a home of their own. An obscene... truly obscene amount of work, travel, study and etcetera sort of helped in relegating the blog to the backseat for all these while. Truth to be told, I am not too happy with letting this passion of mine gone underground; which is the exact reason why I’ve decided to update it before I slip into obscurity again :-S
Anyway, with the latest news about Qantas airline and their A380 flights being grounded due to engine issues, I guess the time is ripe for me to review about this book entitled “Airframe by Michael Crichton”. I have read this book eon ago and usual circumstances prevented me from penning my thoughts about it :-(
Essentially, this techno-thriller is about TransPacific Flight 525 which “porpoises (go Google for the meaning :-P)” while en-route to US; killing several passengers and injuring few more in the process. News about the airworthiness of the airplane frame developed by Norton Aircraft pitches the company into unwanted limelight with potential to “kaput” the company itself.
In the ensuing chaotic moments and finger pointing, enter the superwoman and VP of Quality Control; Casey Singleton who “almost singlehandedly” pushed through all the obstacles (yes, I hear the girl power shout back there :-P) and solved the mystery and discovered the root cause of the incident.
Well, the root cause is none other than a loving papa letting his beloved son fly the plane; which the son is not certified to helm in the first place. So when disaster strikes, the son panicked and went...
“OH NO! Papa papa... what should I do… let me check the guidebook first!”
And up and down the plane goes, throwing everyone like a cookie crumble in an empty container :-P
So ladies and gentlemen, that’s the root cause. BUT, let me tell you. Boring book this is not. It is interestingly written, engaging and most of all, Michael is an excellent story teller, weaving fact into fiction and vice versa; confusing yours truly and no doubt you all out there. Come on... admit that you’re confused too... don’t be shy... heheheheh
Technical details and jargons are limited and explained if it’s really unavoidable. In fact, after reading through the book, I felt as if I’ve worked in Norton Aviation itself. Imagine the details expounded by Michael while writing this book. Reading through all the technicalities are no problem at all, as if Michael lubricated the book with high grade synthetic engine oil. Smooth and squeaky... chut chut chut :-D
Go read it boys and girls... I’m sure you’ll be able to feel the “slipperiness” first hand and agree with me too.
Personal rating: 9 out of 10
Cons:
1) N/A
Pros:
1) "Slippery" and smooth read :-)
2) Enjoyable read up till the last sentence
I’ve always wanted to pen my review on this book which catapulted an obscure author into prominent limelight. This very book endorsed by so many starlets, dignitaries, kings, princes, princesses and yadda yadda yadda…ok, I made the kings, princes and princesses up.. How am I supposed to know what they read? :-P
All I know is, Madonna read it, Oprah read it (or did she?) and countless other celebrities read it...
The book I’m talking about is none other than “The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho”.
The book is essentially a long line of self discovery book written by Paulo Coelho and this being the first made it more meaningful because it helped Paulo to become a well known author the world over.
It is a story about a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago whom had recurring dream and he firmly believes that it is a prophecy and decided to travel to Egypt to find the treasures. As usual in every story, he encounters both bad and good things (including love :-P). This boy Santiago refuses to give up his dream even when the going gets tough. So he ended up enriching himself with his own experiences.
That’s about it boys and girls :-) this book is special (at least to countless of people out there), because of its sheer simplicity and the smooth flow of its storyline. No brain wrecking plots here. Just direct “self-actualisation” or “self-discovery” kind of book.
One thing’s for certain is that, 6 months after you read the book, the impression is no longer there because you would have moved on with other more pressing things in your life. So the point here is, even if it’s the most translated and one of the best selling books in history; you will still little or no recollection after a while about the self-discovery thingy. Period.
As for me, I’ve moved on the moment I closed the last page. :-)
Personal rating: 7 out of 10
Cons:
1) Trust me, you won't be able to remember the storyline
Ahhh... Boyz II Men's songs are always everlasting with soothing melody promising a night of gentle lullaby with goose bump (good ones) inducing lyrics.
I can't name any favourite songs from the list of discography by these great singers but one of the songs I'm addicted to currently is "I'll Make Love To You".
Well, I do agree that the songs are explicit but damn; you have to agree that the song writer(s) is/are so poetic that underlying hints are being suggestive yet subtly provocative at the same time.
Not to mention Boyz II Men "caressing" your whole being with their melodious voice.
Makes me want to pop open a bottle of fine red wine; relieving sweet and memorable times; oft times with historical significance.
Enough of my rantings :-P do enjoy the song on such a fine Saturday; 9 Oct 2010.
Close your eyes, make a wish
And blow out the candlelight
For tonight is just your night
We're gona celebrate, all thru the night
Pour the wine, light the fire
Girl your wish is my command
I submit to your demands
I'll do anything, girl you need only ask
I'll make love to you Like you want me to And I'll hold you tight Baby all through the night I'll make love to you When you want me to And I will not let go 'Till you tell me to
Girl relax, let's go slow
I ain't got nowhere to go
I'm just gonna concentrate on you
Girl are you ready, it's gonna be a long night
Throw your clothes on the floor
I'm gonna take my clothes off too
I made plans to be with you
Girl whatever you ask me, you know, I'll do
Baby tonight is your night
And I will do you right
Just make a wish on your night
Anything that you ask
I will give you the love of your life
I'll make love to you Like you want me to And I'll hold you tight Baby all through the night I'll make love to you When you want me to And I will not let go 'Till you tell me to
Every journey starts with the first step. In my case, it started off with the first step alright :-)
Walking around the town (on purpose of course) while listening to some of my favourite songs calmed and soothed me despite the intense afternoon heat and relatively high humidity.
Somehow or rather, I kept hearing this song despite the hustle and bustle of the traffic and songs from my mp3 player.
I find the lyric of this song really meaningful... and I'm sure you would too :-)
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces passed
And I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making my way
Through the crowd
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight
It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me
'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories
'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight
And I, I
Don't want to let you know
I, I
Drown in your memory
I, I
Don't want to let this go
I, I
Don't....
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces passed
And I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making my way
Through the crowd
And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder....
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass us by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you...
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
If I could
Just hold you
Tonight
On such nights, I will day-dream, night-dream or dreaming while I’m awake or half-asleep or whatever la... and I happen to day-dream about the following:
A magical place filled with all the gentle creatures.
Rainbow and sun shining over colorful wide plains.
Waterfall which cascade down the steep incline, followed by gentle flowing rivers.
Where fishes frolicked and if you’re lucky enough, you'll see white unicorn pack drinking at the side and there will be fairy dust.
Bushes teeming with colorful butterflies and trees with 1001 birds of all feathers constituting the colorful diorama of life.
And in the midst of it all, a warm and quaint little cottage.
Right on top of the small knoll with transparent roof.
With garden filled with colorful buds of tulips bordered by short, white wooden fence.
An old oak tree, old... but strong and stout where there's a swing tied to it.
With the pathway made from cobbled stone... colored cobbled stone.
Two rocking chairs on the verandah with a coffee table in between.
Soft wind billows, carrying with it scent of small potted herbs perched on the verandah.
Rosemary... dill... basil... thyme.
Fire place and chimney, providing warmth during winter and the place to watch snow falling from the sky.
Comfortable double couch beside the French window covered by checked quilts.
And hot mugs of coffee in place.
Aaahhh… sheer pleasure... perhaps I should just close my eyes and dream of this place called Momoland :-)
The weather was warm and slightly humid when the Son sauntered into the kitchen.
“Mom, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. Just sit here and ask while I prepare the dinner.”
As he sat, he realized that his mouth quickly filled with saliva as he sniffed the luxurious smell of herbs and roasted chicken.
Brushing away the thought of the feast he’s about to savor during dinnertime, he looked towards his Mom and asked.
“What is the meaning of prickled? I couldn’t find the exact meaning I wanted from the dictionary nor the net.”
Piqued by such question, the Mom brushed away bread crumb from her fingers and sat opposite the Son. “Hmmm... now that is one really interesting question. So tell me, what kind of meaning are you looking for to be exact?”
“Well, I was at school today and I didn’t see Sara who usually sat beside me. Initially I thought she might be late but it turns out she was absent for the whole day.”
“And then what happened?” asked the Mom looking straight into his Son’s innocent eyes.
“Well, initially I was worried about her getting lost as she walks to school you see. After that, I was worried that something might have happened to her. Like she fell sick or something.”
“It seems that you genuinely care about her then. But you still haven’t told me how the prickled word came about.” enquired the Mom.
Fiddling with the embroidered fringe of table cloth, the Son spoke in hushed tone now. “After that, I sort of imagined that Sara skipped class so that she can play with Tom because his Dad just bought him a new tricycle. She did tell me that she would really love to ride on it you know. And I realized that I couldn’t concentrate in class whenever I thought of it.”
“And when I told Dad about it, he said I’m feeling prickled over something. So what is prickled Mom?”
Clasping her hand over the Son’s hand, she explained to her Son as simple as she could.
“Son, you’re feeling prickled because it shows that you care deeply about her. It is a heartfelt reaction and there’s nothing to be ashamed of ok?”
“But Mom, I feel bad even when I thought about it. How can that heartfelt reaction be good then?” prodded the Son further.
Patting the Son’s head, the Mom smiled as she said, “Well, you feel bad because you assume she skipped class so that she can have fun riding the tricycle with Tom. In other words, getting prickled because it shows that you care for her is good… but it is good as long as you don’t assume anything okay?”
Feeling his own cheeks warming up with the rebuttal from his Mom, the Son nodded his head silently.
“Now now. Why are you having that sour look on your face? Come here and let me look at my precious Son. Just make sure that you don’t assume and clarify things with Sara when you see her back in class alright?”
Nodding excitedly, the Son’s frown slowly but visibly turned into a broad grin. All the while reminding himself that getting prickled is good after all, as long as he doesn’t assume things.
As for Sara, he hoped fervently that she is alright and he can’t wait to see her back in class tomorrow.
Let’s see, I haven’t actually blogged about anything neither significant for the past few weeks nor commented about anything remotely relevant about books either.
These can mean only 2 things;
1. I have abandoned my blogging activity or the site itself
2. I have tonnes of things to do
Lo and behold, the answer is numéro deux!
In fact, I have a few “half-baked” articles/reviews/short stories/thoughts/poems waiting to get posted but I didn’t get the chance to do it.
So please bear with me as I would like to take this chance to rant on about my so called “disappearance”. Besides, I need somewhere to vent my thoughts too you know. :-P
Missing blog entry #1:
I wasn’t able to finish the entry so I’ll just leave it as it is :-D
31st August; Malaysia’s Independence Day has just passed and I was stuck working in foreign land :-( which explains why I only managed to post only 1 entry in the month of August.
I’m having two thoughts here:
1. Should I post regarding my patriotic love towards the country of birth; also affectionately referred as “tanah tumpahnya darahku” which literally translated as “the land where I spilled my blood”?
2. Should I post regarding multiple books I’ve read but couldn’t find the time to scan the covers and to review?
Hmmm… since I’ve not much time to spare, perhaps I should just compile both posts into one entry :-P sounds better right?
Anyway, my country celebrated its 53rd birthday on 31st Aug 2010 and here I am, patting the back of my fellow compatriots/comrades and wished them “Selamat Merdeka” in Bahasa Malaysia before putting our thoughts back into work.
As for the book review; I guess it’ll have to take a back seat for the time being cos time is of essence and I have none to spare at this particular moment :-S
Anyway, Happy Merdeka to all Malaysians! :-)
Do not forget those who toil overseas during this time of celebration!
The month of August is officially the busiest month ever! It is plainly evident that although I have finished reading some new books, I wasn't able to pen my thoughts nor even update my blog :-(
Suffice to say, my blog was neglected and therefore, I managed to pen only 1 review on that month.
Anyway, I do hope I'll be able to do more than whine for the month of September... and what is much better than listening to an upbeat song by Tina Turner! :-P
The song is OLD.. but it has the killer beat and not to mention; catchy lyrics too ;-)
I feel the beat of the song; heck, I think the song is still hot!
By the way, I do understand the meaning of the lyrics.. how about you?
I call you when I need you, my heart's on fire
You come to me, come to me wild and wild
When you come to me
Give me everything I need
Give me a lifetime of promises and a world of dreams
Speak a language of love like you know what it means
And it can't be wrong
Take my heart and make it strong baby
You're simply the best, better than all the rest
Better than anyone, anyone I've ever met
I'm stuck on your heart, and hang on every word you say
Tear us apart, baby I would rather be dead
In your heart I see the star of every night and every day
In your eyes I get lost, I get washed away
Just as long as I'm here in your arms
I could be in no better place
You're simply the best, better than all the rest
Better than anyone, anyone I've ever met
I'm stuck on your heart, and hang on every word you say
Tear us apart, baby I would rather be dead
Each time you leave me I start losing control
You're walking away with my heart and my soul
I can feel you even when I'm alone
Oh baby, don't let go
Alamak! 2 weeks?!I haven’t penned any book reviews for the past 2 weeks?! Time really flies when you’re saddled with endless tasks!
Well, I am glad to say that though I didn’t actually pen any reviews within that period of time, I managed to finish 4 books... :-) in which I will pen my review on one of them... (I haven’t gotten around scanning and reviewing my “old” read books yet. Too daunting a task... :-S)
What else could be better than re-starting a book review blog by writing about sob stories? :-P
First and foremost, I have to re-assert the statement that I didn’t cry when I read this book but I merely felt emotional and had wet-eyes on certain chapters of the book... on second thought, why re-asserting all these in the first place. Hmmm… don’t mind me, sometimes I contradict myself… :-P
In this book entitled, “For One More Day by Mitch Albom", we get to read about soapy stories ala Chicken Soup for the Soul all over again. However, instead of one or two pages long, it became a full fledge novel.
In this novel, purportedly tells the story of one down and out; former baseball player named Charley “Chick” Benetto and his chance encounter with his long dead mom.
I wish I can stop reviewing it after that because that’s practically the start and the end of the story itself :-P
However, the juicy parts are the innards.. yummy yummy…
This “Chick-y” guy was once a promising baseball player from a broken family; in which his dad suddenly packed his bag and left his mom to fend for herself and the family when he was a young chap.
He took it rather badly; sort of blamed his mom for his dad’s exit and grew up to become an adult with myriad of problems, which lead him to his eventual suicide scheme.
Somehow his suicide attempt failed and he ended up meeting his long dead mom.
From thence onwards, his mom brought him around his old neighbourhood, walked him thru his difficult childhood and explained things she did to raise the family; including the… jeng jeng jeng… the reason his dad left the family in haste!
His mom then literally helped him back on his feet and back on track before vanishing and Chick regained his consciousness.
In the end, this book is revealed to have been narrated by Chick’s estranged daughter, Maria.
What do I think of the book?
Well, it’s a nice read. Nothing remarkable to shout about but it has all the right ingredients to make the reader weep :-)
Personal rating: 6 out of 10 (mostly on sob factor)
Cons:
1) Not much character development
Pros:
1) Sob factor :-) its a good thing for me OK!
A Chinese proverb says, “Falling leaves return to their roots”.
And then, the cheeky side of me thought; what if the fallen leaves are picked up by someone and carried far away from its roots? :-P
Will it grow anew like jade plant which grows right from its leaves?
Perhaps growing up beside the parent tree might not be a good idea after all eh?
Don’t mind me, sometimes my mind wanders…
Sometimes I wonder how often we look back to our childhood reminiscing about the bygone era in which we lived a carefree life without being saddled with endless bills, expectations and so on.
While some will whine, some, like this book entitled “Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah”, captures the essence of a childhood trapped in a never-ending home politics is a gem to be savored.
In this open hearted, tell-all book (which is almost none-existence in Asian culture), Adeline exposes the underbelly of the home politics when her biological mom passed away after giving birth to her. Her dad remarried to a “sophisticated lady” and with her stepping on the wrong side of the shadow, she was labeled as the black sheep of the family.
From thence onwards, she was often subjected to countless exclusion and not to mention humiliation during her growing up years. She literally paved her own road away from the family despite being deprived from what she craved the most; love and acceptance as part of the family.
I will not dwell in the methods she used to “break” from the family but in my opinion, the book is readable but the portrayal is rather one sided.
That is to say that Adeline’s depicts herself as victim from start until the end of the book. I’m not to judge an autobiographical book like this but readers should be neutral-minded when they read this book so as not to pass any judgment without hearing both sides of the story.
Short book review eh? :-)
I can’t comment nor review too much on people’s autobiography right?
Later I kena “tembak” for commenting on other people’s life. :-P
I was in melancholy mood; as in sober thoughtfulness; pensivenessand nota gloomy state of mind, esp. when habitual or prolonged, depression; (am I explaining myself here?-P) (quoted from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/melancholy) when I stumbled upon this book entitled “The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry”.
I’ve watched one movie previously (forgotten the title though.. a dotong mah.. :-P) about a group of assassins who assassinate based on pattern derived from an old cloth making machine, so I thought to myself perhaps “The Lace Reader” will revolve around the same premise :-P
Boy I was so wrong. Don’t get me wrong, this book is a really good read. The book is engaging; the plot and character development/explanation is so good that you’ll end up “creating” mould out of the plots/characters in your head as you read on.
However, towards the end of the book, all the plots and characters you’ve built in your mind came crashing down leaving only doubt whether the ending matches the beginning or vice versa. To put it in perspective, reading this book is exactly like watching the movie “Shutter Island” acted by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Essentially, it is a book about generations of women endowed with special skill of lace and/or mind reading in Salem (infamous for the Witch Hunt Incident). The protagonist of this novel is a lady called Towner Whitney (real name Sophya) who can “decipher” the past, present and future from the lace pattern, particularly the handmade Ipswich lace.
Towner escaped from Salem years ago when she had mental breakdown after her twin sister’s suicide, only to go back to the hood when her beloved great-aunt Eva disappeared. Flashbacks, memories and urge to discover reasons of her twin sister’s suicide brought along confusing blend of fact and make believe into picture.
In fact, all the characters introduced into the plot revolve along Towner’s life; two characters worth mentioning are:
1) Her mother, May, who appears to be her mom in the beginning only to negate all that in the end. Meaning that she’s not her mom after all. GASP!
2) Her twin sister, Lyndley, who lived separately from Towner since young only to be reunited and killed herself when she stumbled upon Towner in a boat together with her crush, Jack LaLibertie. However, at the end of the novel, even this fact is not true, because apparently Lyndley is a twin Towner never had because she died immediately after birth
See, I told you this book has quirky ending. In fact, it is so quirky that I had to re-read the ending part twice just to make sure that I read the right thing. Well, I bet everyone will do the same if they read this book.
This is a neutral book review because it is complicated to begin with and my hats off to Brunonia for writing such a compelling book with such a refreshing albeit twisted ending :-P
I do agree with The Washington Post’s quote, “Gripping… a marvelously bizarre cast of characters (living and dead) in a uniquely colorful town”.
Personal rating: 7 out of 10
Cons:
1) A complicated read. I had to slow down in order to grasp the flow of the story
First and foremost, I’ve to admit that I’ve been a slog in updating my blog with book reviews. But then, I need to work to earn a living you see :-P (I hope that explains everything). Anyway, I think I’m getting better at speed reading.
In fact, I managed to finish (on average) a 300pager (plus minus) on a one way 3hours flight (excluding transits); that is after deducting off the sleep, the lunch, the toilet visit etc etc etc (I find that etcetera makes me sound more intelligent :-P).
So, here I am, stuck at transit terminal typing the latest book review on a book entitled “Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton”. It should be noted that this same book was previously published as “The 13th Warrior by Michael Crichton”.
“Praise not the day until evening has come; a woman until she is burnt; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk” – Northmen/Viking’s proverb
Praise to Michael because this is the kind of book which I actually enjoyed reading. Suspense, thriller, gore and grime all blended together ala tutti-frutti. I don’t know whether to believe references quoted conspicuously as footnote as you read thru the book but Michael did say that “sic”; “the references in the afterword are genuine. The rest of the novel, including its introduction, text, footnotes, and bibliography, should be viewed as fiction.”
This book is supposedly written with reference to original manuscripts/travelogues penned by Ibn Fadlan with sprinkling of ideas taken from Old English epic of Beowulf.
In this book (criss-cross between fact and fiction), we follow Ibn Fadlan; a refined Arab courtier; a representative of the powerful Caliph of Baghdad; on an off-tracked adventure.
He was supposedly sent as an embassy of the Caliphate to the king of the Volga Bulgars but was sidetracked when his badly timed (or sheer bad luck) visit to the Northern wild lands resulting him to be chosen as the 13th warrior; hence the name of the book.
In this book, the Vikings in the Kingdom of Rothgar in the Land of Venden are being spooked, mercilessly slaughtered and cannibalized by “apparitions” in the black mist. Despite being hardy and brave warriors they are, these Vikings are no match for the unseen and “shall not be named” enemy. Hence, King Rothgar’s son, Wulfgar, trekked and sailed all the way to seek help from a hero named Buliwyf to wipe out this menace from their land.
To cut the story short, the 13 warriors grabbed their gears, ate; drank, frolicked and copulated all the way to their destination :-)
When they finally met the creatures in the black mist for the first time, they fought full heartedly and managed to beat them back; only to see the reappearance of the creature in the form of “the glowworm dragon a.k.a Korgon”; which is basically a bunch of horse-riders with fire torch riding as a horde.
Our warriors fought hard and even went deep into the enemy’s territory to complete the annihilation; however, they’re able to do it only when they ventured to the underwater cave/lair to kill the “Big Momma” of the enemies :-P, thus, throwing them into disarray.
Buliwyf and many of the warriors are killed in the end, and our protagonist, Ibn Fadlan escaped with a great story under his belt. End of story.
Whew, I’m so relieved to be able to pen this book review during my transit hours. So, I shall start reading another book after I log off, and hopefully I’ll be able to find time to write another book review on my journey home to “tanah tumpahnya darahku” :-)
Gonna board my ferry now... TATA…
P/s: I’ll be baacck… (voice-over like Terminator)
Personal rating: 8 out of 10
Cons:
None that I can think of
Pros:
1) Good description on the Viking’s way of life. I enjoyed the description of their crude lifestyle which somewhat pales in comparison with the “refined” lifestyle of the ancient Asian cultures
2) Michael managed to blur the line between fact and fiction seamlessly. It is a truly enjoyable read
I have to admit that understanding Chinese songs is never my forte… however; I have soft spot for great tunes and poetry of Chinese songs; though I have to read the pinyin version slowly in order to sing the song.
I bet this is an old song cos as what I’ve said, I’m not particularly updated in Chinese songs arena. However, this song is so beautifully written, the tune is so melodious and of course, the singer, David Tao has the perfect voice to carry the song that I felt so attached to the song despite the language barrier.
I’ve attached the translation here as well… so, light up the scented candle, steep a cup of fragrant tea, sit back, close your eyes and enjoy the song… :-)
Ai Hen Jian Dan (Loving/Love Is Easy) by David Tao
Romaji: Ai Hen Jian Dan
wang le shi zen me kai shi
ye xu jiu sh idui ni you yi zhong gan jue
hu ran jian fa xian zi ji
yi shen shen ai shang ni zhen de hen jian dan
ai de di an tian hei dou yi wu suo wei
shi shi fei fei wu fa jue zhe
mei you hou hui wei ai ri ye qu gen sui
na ge feng kuang de ren shi wo
I LOVE U
wu fa bu ai ni
BABY
shuo ni ye ai wo
I LOVE U
yong yuan bu yuan yi
BABY
shi qu ni
bu ke neng geng kuai le
zhi yao neng zai yi qi zuo shen me dou ke yi
sui ran shi jie bian ge bu ting
yong zui zhen cheng de xin rang ai bian de jian dan
ai de di an tian hei dou yi wu suo wei
shi shi fei fei wu fa jue zhe
mei you hou hui wei ai ri ye qu gen sui
na ge feng kuang de ren shi wo
I LOVE U
yi zhi zai zhe li
BABY
yi zhi zai ai ni
I LOVE U (yes I do)
yong yuan dou bu fang qi zhe ai ni de quan li
ru guo ni hai you yi xie kun huo
Oh No
qing tie zhe wo de xin qing ting
ting wo shuo zhe ai ni
(yes I do)
wo ai ni
I LOVE U
yi zhi zai zhe li
BABY
yi zhi zai ai ni
I LOVE U (yes I do)
yong yuan dou bu fang qi zhe ai ni de quan li
Translation: Ai Hen Jian Dan
I've forgotten how it started
Maybe it was because I had some sort of feeling for you
And suddenly, I realized that I
Already love you deeply, really quite easily
I don't mind love's dark heaven and earth
I can't choose between right and wrong
I have no regrets regarding the love I've already followed
That crazy person is me, oh...
I love you, I can't not love you baby
Say you love me too
I love you, I'll never be willing baby
To lose you
I can't be happier, as long as we're together
Doing anything is okay, though this world is always changing
I'll use my most honest heart to let love become easy
I love you, I'll always be here
I'll always love you
I love you, oh yes I do
I'll never let go of the right to love you
If you ever have any troubles, oh no
Please stick to me, I'll listen; listen to me say I love you
Yes I do, I love you
Well, I don't profess to have knowledge about Bible, not even skimming on the surface... thus I will hold back my acid tongue when I review about this book :-)
In this book entitled “The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho”; it has a rather deep and heavy religious tone, which explains on the sensitivity of reviewing such book.
The story is based on the story of Elijah from the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings Chapters 17-19). The focus is on Elijah's time in Zarephath (in this book named Akbar). Much has been added to the simple Bible story by Coelho, including Elijah witnessing the sacking of Akbar by the Assyrians, Elijah's journey up the Fifth Mountain itself (said to be the dwelling place of Baal), and Elijah's falling in love with the widow to whom God sent him.
As with other books from Paulo, this story touches on realizing your own potential and also the ability to overcome obstacles and boundaries to do what you think as right; not to mention to attain the level of spiritual awareness and finally, to engage in a meaningful and powerful relationship with God.
In my opinion, this book sounded slightly like historical novels or to put it into perspective, it sounded like the book entitled "Zipporah by Marek Halter" in which Paulo literally breathe life into historical personage and cleverly interlinked all those messages he would like to convey on it.
Well, it’s not easy to review books which touch on religion, so this will be it :-P
Yup, you read that right... this is all I have to say about this book :-)
If you would like to read more about Paulo's book, you can try to buy ONE first, read thoroughly before you decide to buy the rest :-D
On the hindsight, I still prefer “Zipporah by Marek Halter” compared to “The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho”. At least Marek did not impose his ideals on his book like what Paulo did in all his books (*hint hint*).
According to the Daily Mail, this novel entitled "Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton" is "fast-moving, gripping". Yes, I would agree to this statement but the only thing which I consider as "fast-moving, gripping" is my bowel movement after a hot laksa soup... and definitely NOT this book :-D
On a serious note, this book is purportedly found as complete manuscript in Michael's files after his death in 2008; and it is somewhat based on a memoir written by the protagonist in the novel, Charles Hunter entitled "Life Among the Privateers of the Caribbean Sea".
Truth to be told, I don't really plan to write this review in such a way that it sounded downright negative, but I find the plot this book too shallow and do not reflect the true genius of a seasoned writer like Michael.
It seemed to me that Michael wrote this book after watching Pirates of the Caribbean movies (starred by the enigmatic Johnny Depp :-P). Well, let’s see... I have summarized the following "characteristics" found in almost all pirate novels.
1) Bad @$$ captain and crew
2) A ship full of sail & cannons
3) Equally bad @$$ enemy
4) Treasures
5) Sea fight
6) Etc etc
7) Oh, not to be missed... Kraken!
This book fulfilled all the abovementioned points; plus minus a bit more; and sadly, that's all about it.
To summarize everything, this book is about a band of privateers (not pirates OK? :-P) of the early British Empire lead by Charles Hunter launching a bold mission to attack a Spanish stronghold called Matanceros, which is zealously guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla. To cut the story really short, they had to go thru a lot of planning and hardship before they eventually succeed in their plan. Boring right? :-|
Yes, that's my expression throughout the book :-| not even once did the storyline managed to pique my attention. As befitting this book; in my opinion; the reader might as well watch the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. At least those movies have cute casts and corny but funny dialogues.
Personal rating: 2 out of 10 (the worst among all Michael's novels)
Cons:
1) The plot is too darn predictable. Read only if you have nothing else to read.
Pros:
1) Purportedly based on actual events and real life figures as depicted in the epilogue.
This is probably the busiest month ever. I only managed to finish one and half book. I'm stuck at work.. actually not only that.. I have my plate full with other stuff as well... :-S
I have written some partial book review which I will post when it's done... But on this particular day, this song kept playing in my mind...
Apt lyric in this flawed and imperfect world.. don't you think so?
I know, I know.. too many song postings instead of book reviews… but let me assure you I have many book reviews coming along :-)
You see, sometimes I can be a man with few words. When that happens, my mouth will be clamped shut (doesn’t look like a clamped clam though :-P); and I’d rather convey my words in either literature form or I’ll select a song which best represents how I feel at that particular moment.
Since I’m having some sort of mental block now :-S; I thought of this particular song, which I played and sang while I made bruschetta for pot-luck party.
In my opinion, this song is filled with a lot of isi-isi tersirat (hidden meanings), in which only those who really “feel” the song will be able to understand.
Are you the one who truly “feel” this song? Or do you listen just for the sake of listening?
Every Day I Love You
I don't know, but I believe
That some things are meant to be
And that you'll make a better me
Everyday I love you
I never thought that dreams came true
But you showed me that they do
You know that I learn something new
Everyday I love you
'Cos I believe that destiny
Is out of our control (don't you know that I do)
And you'll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul.
It's a touch when I feel bad
It's a smile when I get mad
All the little things I am
Everyday I love you
Everyday I love you more
Everyday I love you
'Cos I believe that destiny
Is out of our control (don't you know that I do)
And you'll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul
If I asked would you say yes?
Together we're the very best
I know that I am truly blessed
Everyday I love you
And I'll give you my best
Everyday I love you
I mean, who wouldn't like a song like this. The beat is smooth and consistent, the music is in perfect harmony and most of all, the lyric touches your heart so much that just by listening to it brings you to another realm altogether.
Sometimes (just sometimes), it is true when people said songs are poems with tunes. Those who wrote this song truly know their stuff.
Immerse yourself in this song; close your eyes, listen to the music... but perhaps the most important aspect is to "understand" the lyric.
Better still, "feel" the song "flood" your whole being... as what I’m doing right now as I typed in this entry.
Here Without You
Songwriters: Roberts, Matt; Harrell, Todd; Arnold, Brad; Henderson, Chris;
A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same
But all the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight it's only you and me, yeah
The miles just keep rollin'
As the people leave their way to say hello
I've heard this life is overrated
But I hope that it gets better as we go, oh yeah yeah
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl it's only you and me
Everything I know and anywhere I go
It gets hard but it won't take away my love
And when the last one falls, when it's all said and done
It gets hard but it won't take away my love, whoa
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl it's only you and me, yeah oh yeah oh
*CAUTION: Drama King “hijacked” the body of this normally sensible; hot-blooded; Homo sapiens of male species*
*NOTE: The following descriptions have been dramatized for greater effect, so throw a pinch of salt over your shoulder before you read the following book review*
Aiyoooo!!!! Another book about self discovery!!.. I don’t want I don’t want I don’t want!!!...
In this book entitled “The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho”; we’re introduced to the first hand experience gained by the acclaimed Brazilian author Paulo Coelho and his road towards self discovery!
BING!
Another self discovery book?!
Wait a minute, this is not just another book, this is Paulo’s first book. His numero uno masterpiece.
But since this is a self discovery book, what else can you glean from the book besides discovering yourself?
Don’t underestimate this self discovery book because this book teaches you exercise programs as well…
Yes ladies and gentlemen, besides discovering yourself, you get free exercise programs :-) (I’m not joking here… to be explained later :-P)
I’m deviating far from the book review :-P
Well, this is the first book from Paulo, in which he wrote about his journey towards self discovery.
It is basically his personal diary on his pilgrimage road trip between France and Spain after being told by his MASTER (ala MASTER YODA), that he has more to learn about life. I assume the conversation goes like this:
Paulo: Master, finally I’ve finished my learning. Can I go now? Master: No Paulo, you still have a long way to go. Paulo: Why Master? What should I do? Master: Silence Paulo! You talk too much! Listen to me. Go tag along with one mentor. Listen to his advice for he will help you towards achieving your self discovery. Paulo: Yes Master. Thank you for your guidance and advice.
*He bows took his knapsack and left the place*
He then went on to tag himself with his mentor, who told him to listen to him no matter what. No matter what what? I don’t know what’s what in this what what.
So in this journey of listening to his mentor no matter what, he encounters his own demon, his own fear, developed his own exercise program and transformed himself to a person who supposedly understands about life.
I think my review is boring! Yes, it is boring... as boring as this book!
This book is so boring that I had to watch Braveheart just to uplift my mood…
It is only with cries of FREEDOMMMMMM by William Wallace that I managed to break the spell.
Anyway, boredom is only part of the “torture” of reading this book. This book is filled with so many quirky advices that I almost mistook Paulo as Dr Phil :-P
In fact, I was so tempted to put matchstick between my eyelids to keep my eyes open and had to super-speed read thru this book!
On the hindsight, no need to waste your money to join gym membership for some yoga programs. By buying this book, you get the following:
1. Read other people’s self discovery and pretend that it uplift you to another realm or experience a total paradigm shift.
2. Quirky advise which sounded sinisterly like your buddies when they’re loaded with booze.
3. Best of all, EXERCISE PROGRAMS!
If you don’t believe me, I dare you to go and buy this book.
Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…
See, this is NOT… I repeat... NOT A BAD BOOK… N-O-T (space) A (space) B-A-D (space) B-O-O-K
I know I posted quite a number of songs in this blog.. but hey, sometimes I do feel chatty; moreover, this is supposed to be a blog about personal reflections too.. :-P
I do balance my life with books, music, gym and etc.. lest I become dorky if I surround myself with too many books.. on second thought, that’s not a bad prospect after all.. hmmm, I think I contradict myself here :-D
Anyway, I was driving back from work on Monday, 31st of May 2010 :-), when I heard this song playing over the radio… I know this is a rather old song and the movie’s ending sucks big time but listening to the song and “digesting” the lyric after all these years is truly an eye opener.
The lyric is so well written that I felt that I must post it up considering the moment of inner peace it accorded to me as I listened to this song amidst the hustle and bustle of the crazy zig-zaggy traffic.
I think I’m making myself incoherent… never mind… just listen to the song and savour (truly savour) the lyric like what I did :-)
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Well, every moment spent with you
Is a moment I treasure
(Chorus)
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Lying close to you
Feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
And I just wanna stay with you
In this moment forever, forever and ever
(chorus)
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna miss one smile
I don't wanna miss one kiss
Well, I just wanna be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just wanna hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time
(Chorus)
Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
'Cause I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah
I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna miss a thing
Whew, finally I’ve finished reading the last book (of a trilogy) written by Robyn Young. Not that I’m complaining because I only have good words for this book :-)
For the uninitiated, Robyn took 10years in total to research, compile and write this trilogy.
As mentioned in my earlier blog entries, the trilogy started off with the book entitled Brethren followed by Crusadeand this is the last piece of the puzzle.
Initially, I felt daunted when I picked up this book based on the weight and the sheer thickness of it. But, when I read it, the story just flows forth and I felt the connection and irrepressible urge to continue reading it till the end.
In this book entitled “Requiem by Robyn Young”; Will Campbell is back in action again.
But age has crept up and he's a matured (see, I used "matured" instead of "old" here :-P) and seasoned warrior back to Europe after their horrific losses to the hands of the Mamluks, which lead to fall of Acre.
Hand picked by his predecessor to lead the clandestine organisation called Anima Templi (established to promote peace between all major religions) within The Knights of Templar, he failed miserably in his assigned tasks when he let his hatred towards King Edward of England go to his head and went fighting for Scotland (alongside William Wallace) instead.
The Templar on the other hand forged an alliance with King Edward to secure a base of their own.
His own estranged daughter, Rose grew lusty and decided to embroil herself in an unlikely affair with King Philip of France and getting pregnant in the process.
That’s not all; Robyn managed to twirl all the conspiracies, murders, revenge and whatnot ranging from assassination of Pope Boniface VIII and Pope Benedict XI; to appointment of Pope Clement V allegedly done by King Philip's implacable minister, Guillaume de Nogaret.
If these intrigues are not intriguing enough, Robyn also infused the eventual downfall of the Knights of Templar and how those warrior monks are tortured to extract confession and burnt at stake in the end.
As for our protagonist, Will Campbell, he plays mostly on supporting role this time and as all good stories go, the protagonist will live happily ever after and it is the same with this book.
Just read the review above and I’m sure you'll notice the complexities of the storyline.
So my review is not complete (not even 1%) as it provides just a small scope within the multilayered complexities.
The beauty is that Robyn managed to infuse historical events with imaginary characters seamlessly.
Thus reading thru this book is like peeking thru historical events unfurling before your very eyes.
Reading historical happenings via novels like this is much palatable than learning thru mundane and boring history books
:-P
No pros and cons needed but I would like to say that this is definitely the best serial I’ve read so far :-)
Go Go Robyn GO!
Btw, pls do leave your comment if you happen to stumble in this blog of mine ya :-P
*for those reading this entry, don't mind me. Sometimes I can be thick-skinned too :-D*
Personal rating: 10 out of 10 (for a beautiful ending on such a beautiful and memorable day :-))
Some songs are goose-bump inducing not to mention addictive.
Here I am, updating my blog at 5-plus in the morning cos I can’t get this song out of my beer laden brain (Original Japanese Asahi Super Dry mind you..hehe).
Thanks to the hilarious introduction to this song in the afternoon, in which I literally laughed my @$$ off due to some smart-alec (from Vietnam), who embedded his glamour photo as the album cover :-D (no joke), I’ve been listening to this song for like n-times now.
Not because of Miley Cyrus (I’m serious :-P) but it’s because of the beautifully written lyric!
Wait a minute! Am I insomniac? I hope not :-S
Hope you’ll enjoy the song + the lyrics as much as I do :-)
Everybody needs inspiration,
Everybody needs a soul.
A beautiful melody,
When the night's are long.
Cause there is no guarantee,
That this life is easy.
And when my world is falling apart.
When there's no light to break up the dark,
That's when I, I, I look at you.
When the waves are flooding the shore,
and I can't find my way home anymore.
That's when I, I, I look at you.
When I look at you,
I see forgiveness,
I see the truth.
You love me for who I am,
Like the stars hold the moon,
Right there where they belong.
and I know im not alone.
Yeah when my world is falling apart,
When there's no light to break up the dark,
That's when I, I, I look at you.
When the waves are flooding the shore,
and I can't find my way home anymore,
That's when I, I, I look at you.
You, appear just like a dream to me.
Just like kaleidoscope colors,
That cover me,
All I need,
Every breath that I breathe,
Don't you know you're beautiful!
Yeah
When the waves are flooding the shore,
and I can't find my way home anymore,
That's when I, I, I look at you.
I look at you, Yeah, Woah.
You, appear just like a dream to me.
Note: This is another novel about spiritual awakening from Paulo Coelho.
As what I’ve mentioned earlier, I bought all published book (at that particular time) from one author and Paulo is one of them. So please bear with me while I try to dissect the intricacies linked to these spiritually filled books.
Supposedly, these kinds of books shouldn’t be read based on the face value. It is supposed to be “understood/misunderstood” and “grilled” until you get the BING moment.
As for me, I don’t dwell too much on such things because it is tiring to analyse (or over-analyse) on certain books to get the isi-isi tersirat.
This book entitled “By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho” (a mouthful mind you, it’s like reading the title with your mouth full of meatballs :-P), is one such novel.
In essence, it is about a scholar named Pilar who’s frustrated by the endless cycles of her life.
This scholar who hasn’t even stepped outside the big bad world to earn money is complaining about endless cycles of her life! BAH!
Before I jump straight to conclusion and analyse in my own perverted way, I shall hold my horses and continue to review this book with an open mind.
PATIENCE, PATIENCE!
Anyway, going back to the story; this Pilar girl got bored with her university life and wanted to seek some greater meaning to her existence within those supposedly endless cycles.
She got her break when all the sudden, her former crush who’s now a handsome and well respected spiritual leader cum miracle worker contacted her.
She saw the chance for her to break free from the cycles and decided to follow him thru his journey via sacred sites in the French Pyrenees.
However, the catch of this journey is that the guy will finally have to choose between her (as lover) and answering his spiritual calling.
This means that the tension of their love, her longings towards him and the feeling of loving but not being loved is constantly played between these two love-birds.
It is with these difficult conditions that the BING moment of the novel came as we discover the divinity and the power of love under such strained condition.
The novel does not have a happy ending because they parted with the guy answering his spiritual calling and Pilar ended up checking into a convent.
I guess this novel’s title depicts Pilar’s sorrow when she is confronted with an unfulfilled love.
So what do I think about this book?
Truth to be told, I don’t remember much about this book or any other books from Paulo.
I had to speed read most of his books before I can pen any review; which is why I don’t dwell too much on one book trying to seek out the hidden meaning and getting headache in the process.
I still need to work to earn bucks for a living u know :-P
On the hindsight, the prospect of experiencing unfulfilled love can be a painful affair and bravo to Paulo on his ability to capture its essence in written words.
And to re-read such novel again after such a long time enables me to fully understand the hidden meaning in its simple but beautiful storyline.
Personal rating: 8 out of 10
Cons:
1) No character development. As with other books from Paulo
He stood up to stretch his stiff body and took the opportunity to glance nervously around. He realised with a shock that he is right in the midst of a hive filled with various activities.
There are some who walked to and fro with sense of purpose in their stride, while some stared blankly into their computer screen filled with coloured rows of highlighted numbers.
From far, those minute looking digits and characters look sinisterly like fire ants, the fire ants he used to burn with joss stick back at his kampong house.
Shaking his head to clear off this irrelevant reverie, he sat down with a thud on the somewhat uncomfortable, squeaking chair.
He sighed inwardly and thought of the luck he got so far in securing his current position.
As he turned and stared at his computer screen, he realized that his mind is totally blank and could not comprehend the numbers displayed on the screen. Those stagnated numbers kept on blinking like constant heartbeat, taunting him repeatedly.
He closed his eyes, obscuring his vision momentarily. Despite this, the floating numbers remained in his view, burnt into his mind like a charred emblem. He rubbed his eyes hard, swirling the numbers and saw splitting stars at the back of his eyeballs in the process.
Slowly he reopened his eyes and glanced at the wall clock again. He noticed that the minutes arm nudged slowly but surely, time now showing 11.55am.
He nervously shuffled his feet on the carpeted floor, feeling the carpet’s roughness through the sole of his shiny leather shoes. He silently wished that he could take it off and free his sweaty feet from the confines of his shoes.
Slowly he extended his neck above his cubicle wall like a tortoise emerging from its shell. Again he looked around. The place is much calmer now and the bustle of activities he saw earlier has thinned considerably.
His palms grew wet and clammy with anticipation. He fidgeted on his chair, the squeaking sound now louder as the place grew quieter.
He jolted when he felt someone tapped his shoulder and asked him, “So, how was your first day at work? OK so far? Would you like to join us for lunch?”
With that, he felt a true sense of relieve and happily accepted the lunch offer with a smile on his face.
