Monday, April 22, 2013 501 Amazing Facts About Malaysia Posted by juphelia at 14:57

I bought this book through a recommendation by fellow blogger Julie. I enquired to the author Venkat Hari through his blog, and got this book specially flown in from Malaysia!

The book really lists down 501 trivia stuff about Malaysia. It is divided into sections, consisting of ancient facts, modern facts, prehistoric facts, geography facts, climate facts, names of places, food and education to name a few.

 

Some of the interesting bit of trivia includes tigers liking durians, the world's tallest flagpole in Kuala Lumpur, which Chinese in which state speaks Cantonese, Hokkien or Foochow, which sultan was elected twice, when to use Datuk and Da'to, which state has the oldest sultanate, and that which rainforest has been undisturbed ever since the ice age.

 

In short, this is a good and interesting book that helps improve your general knowledge about the country. Even for those who are not Malaysians, this is also an interesting book to help you know the country, especially for those who like to travel around.

 

If you are interested in getting this book, do contact Venkat Hari at his website. He is really a nice guy who is willing to send you the book at a minimal price.

Thursday, November 4, 2010 Eat, Pray, Love Posted by juphelia at 15:24

The first time I heard of this book, I thought the story reflects me. After all, the three words can easily describe me - eat, pray and love. So when I first saw that this would be turned into a movie and starring none other than Julia Roberts, I told myself it would be a movie worth watching!

And I am not wrong. The movie captures the essence of the book. Not many book-to-movie films actually capture the essence of the book, but this one did so successfully. Hence reviewing the book is just like reviewing the movie.

The author Elizabeth Gilbert wrote about the down period in her life - after a divorce, loss of her money and not enough jobs were forthcoming. So she decided to take a year off to "discover" herself so to speak.

She spent a few months in Italy, eating, enjoying life, learning Italian and drooling over cute Italian guys, while making some friends in the process. She spent another few months in India, trying to "find" herself, mediating. She met the guy Richard from Texas who taught her about life and mediation, and about life's problems. She then spend the remaining months in Bali, learning from her guru and meeting a dream South American hunk in the process.

Even though my experiences are not that similar to hers (for one, I have never been married), but I can understand her struggles. Many a times, people (men or women) have reached a crossroads. They go by life just within the motions, not really caring whether they are truly happy or not.

Only the really brave ones are able to break out of the monotony and wants a change for himself and herself. That will be when he / she starts discovering him / herself. Like Elizabeth, some may go travelling for some journey of self-discovery. If I can afford to take a year off, I do not mind doing what she did too!

In any case, this book is a pretty good read. I have not really come across any of Elizabeth Gilbert's books, but this seems to be her best book by far. The movie is not that far off too. Now I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this book which she recently published this year!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Gender Issues In Literature Posted by juphelia at 11:23

I took the day off today, because I have leave to clear, and also because I need to rush assignments (again). There are two assignments, one due today and the other tomorrow. The one today is on the evolution of the English Language in Commonwealth countries, and how these countries adapted their own form of English which carried on through the years.

The one due tomorrow is a comparison and contrast of two plays on the modern women. I really like this module! The texts we are learning are on the emancipation of women and how women discovered themselves and become independent, instead of subjecting themselves to the whims and fancies of men.

The first book, "The Colour Purple", was set in the 1930s United States. It focused on a typical poor black family. The central character is a black girl called Celie. She was raped by her father (whom she later discovered towards the end of the story to be her stepfather), had two children who were taken away from her, and got sent to be married to a man who abused her.

Later on, she met a singer who was her husband's mistress, and from there, learnt how to be independent, that she could talk back to her husband, leave the family, and set up a small business on her own. When she went back a few years later, she became a new woman, confident, independent and opinionated.

This time round, instead of cowering her to submission, her husband actually looked up to her in awe and respected her new independence and opinions. Through this, she also caused her step-daughter-in-law and the other women to stand up for themselves and stop being subjected to the abuse of their men.

The second book is a play called "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen. It was set during Christmas week one year around the late nineteenth century. The central character is Nora, married to a lawyer who would soon be promoted to head the banking department, with two children. On the surface, she seemed like a contented little woman - housewife, sweet to her husband, loves her children, does everything her husband asked, endearing and lovable. But she is smart and capable, although never showed it in front of her husband.

When her husband got into debt once, she borrowed the money from a friend, and then worked by copywriting and needlework to try to pay it all off. She did all these without telling her husband because it was unheard of in those days for a woman to support the family while the man was not.

However, when the friend whom she borrowed money from got fired from his job, he wrote a letter detailing what she did and blackmailed her husband. Her husband confronted her and said she was not worthy of being his wife and mother to his children anymore. Later on, her friend returned the incriminating papers, as he said he did not wish to have a bad conscience.

Then, her husband was happy and said he forgave her. That was when she realised that, as much as her love for her husband was unconditional because she had no qualms doing everything for him, his was not. His love for her was conditional, provided she did not give him trouble, otherwise he would not stand by her and love her. She realised she was just a doll - a plaything to her husband's eyes, someone he could pull on the strings like a puppet.

That was when she decided to leave the family. Her husband pleaded her to stay, but she said their values were so different that only a miracle could make the marriage work already. Hence, she left and apparently, at the end of the play, there was a door slamming, indicating her new-found freedom and independence.

The third book is called "Top Girls" by Caryl Churchill, on working women of the late 1970s to 1980s. In those days, men were still of the idea that women could only be secretaries and whatnot, hence any woman who rose up against the ranks to become the top person in the company would be ostracised by both men and women.

It seemed as if in those days (which were just thirty or so years ago), men would refuse to work under a woman. Any woman being in the workforce would always be overlooked for promotion. The few women who made it tend to make "enemies". It was implied in the book that for a woman to make it, she had to sacrifice relationships, marriage and children and work her life away to go to the top. If she has a family and kids, then chances are she still has to give up her career to take care of her family.

I guess this is still the case now, even though things are getting better. Men and women are given more equal opportunities in the workforce, but how many CEOs do we know that are women? In almost every company I have worked for, the number one is still a man. Does it mean a woman cannot do the job?

I grow up in a family of strong women. I think I have mentioned before, my family has more girls than guys, and the girls are the smarter, more educated and more capable ones, except me. My female cousins mostly have Masters degrees, whereas my male cousins mostly have just a normal degree or honours.

My paternal grandmother was considered educated for her time, because she was able to read and write. Before her accident, she would read the newspaper everyday. She is able to recognise most of the words in the newspaper, even though she only had an equivalent of a Secondary One education level. When she was schooling, she was the only female in her school, and the top scorer. The boys teased her and insulted her, telling her to stay at home and be a girl.

My grandma ran home crying and wanted to quit school. It was her mother and brother who insisted she remained, and her brother even escorted her to and fro school and ensured she was no longer bullied. She could have continued her studies, but her hometown put up a regulation that girls were no longer allowed to go to school, and so, she had to stop.

Later she married my late grandfather and bore him two children. My grandfather was called away to a military school and war came. My grandma single-handedly brought her two children, her mother, her parents-in-law, some relatives and all the children of her relatives out of China and came down to Singapore. She took care of everyone, which is why her relatives, despite now being grandparents, still show her utmost respect.

Her genes passed down to my aunt, who, despite being a housewife, raised five children and took charge of the house so her husband could concentrate on his job. Her five children all went to university. Out of four daughters, one obtained her PhD and two Masters.

My uncle's second daughter, despite being divorced, is a civil servant, raising her two sons, supervises them in her studies, takes care of her parents, comes over to see my grandma, and still have time to meet up with her friends and me occasionally. She has a Masters too.

In contrast, her brother, being the favourite grandchild of my grandmother, had never once came along with her to see my grandma, and the only time he came was one night where he brought his wife over, and they stayed for just an hour or so before leaving.

Now my mother's side. My maternal grandmother is illiterate. She did not have the priviledge of going to school. When my grandfather passed away, leaving a young widow with four children, she brought them up herself single-handedly. All her children went to university.

My mother inherited my grandmother's strong-willed and resilience. She has high standards in everything. She is an ultra perfectionist, a very Type A and Eagle personality, and she has no qualms speaking her mind whenever she sees something not done to perfection.

Growing up with her was very stressful. She was ultra critical of everything I did. Nothing I did ever pleased her. If I did not run into some problems a few years back and she realised how her actions affected me, things would never have improved between us and I will never become who I am now.

My mother is a very strong career-woman. She goes to office early and leaves much later than everyone else everyday. Still, she managed to raise three of us, gave us the best education she could, and taught us whatever she could. Yet she still managed to study for her Masters part-time, takes care of the house, manages our maid and now takes care of both my grandmothers. My father is a typical laid-back lazy man.

So who says a woman cannot have everything? My mother and my older generation are good examples of women during their times. I am not as capable or powerful as my mother, but I hope when the time comes, I, too, can have everything - higher education, career, family. It needs a very supportive and understanding partner to achieve all these.

In this case, men have to be prepared that women are getting more and more capable and powerful, and accept that a powerful women need not mean she does not want a family. Men have to start accepting that women can have all, instead of being turned off by a woman who is capable.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 Love Is A Verb By Gary Chapman Posted by juphelia at 09:37

I just finished this heartwarming and touching book by Gary Chapman. Heard about him? He is a senior pastor and marriage counsellor in America and the author of "The Five Love Languages".

This book "Love Is A Verb" is a collection of true stories on the different facets of love. Would you love your child if he knows he will be handicapped for life? This mother did and spent all her energy and resources on her handicapped child even though she has two more normal children.

Will you love your child if he had done something awfully wrong and the rest of the family wanted you to disown him? This mother did and her other kids cut off from her but she managed to hold the family together in the end.

Will you love again when your spouse of more than thirty years died of an illness? This woman did three years after the death of her husband, even though she already have three grown children and grandchildren. She married his best friend, who also lost his wife earlier.

Will you love your own adopted children as much as your own children? This woman did, who adopted four more children in addition to her own birth children and love them like how a mother loves her children.

Will you offer a cup of coffee to park rangers when they have to stand in the snow, giving the bad news that the park was closed due to heavy snow? This man did. After turning back to the cafe at the entrance of the park, he bought hot coffee and chocolate for all the park rangers who were freezing out there doing their jobs and they were ever so grateful.

Will you sacrifice what you really want for your loved ones and family? This man did. He sacrificed his well-paying job just to stay home more often to take care of his baby (he loathed changing diapers and were scared of feeding) when his wife was working shifts.

The stories in this book teach us the meaning of humanity, forgiveness, sacrifice, commitment. How many of us are actually committed in a relationship? More often than not, we claim we are committed but actually we start griping when we come across our partners' faults.

But real commitment means examining ourselves, making things better and making the relationship works. For instance, I can wonder why I am with him when he drives me up the wall at times. There were also times when I wanted to just break up and stop creating trouble for myself since men equates trouble.

But then again, when I examine myself, I start to wonder, why is he with me? There is really no justification he will continue being with someone like me, yet he does.

So instead of focusing on each other's flaws, we can focus on how we can make things better.

After all, love is a verb. You make the decision to love and thus should make things work instead of taking the cowardly way out and escaping before anything even started.

Thursday, January 21, 2010 How To Get Better Grades And Have More Fun! Posted by juphelia at 11:44

I believe every student wants to find out how to spend less time studying yet get better grades. Since secondary school, we have to struggle with numerous subjects, take part in school activities, enter tournaments and carnivals, and still be expected to do well in our examinations.

These struggles went on all the way to tertiary level. I am never a straight A student, unlike my smarter relatives. My cousins are those who studied in top schools, watch television, play the piano, take part in school matches, exercise, read a lot, and yet still able to top the school. How they did that I can never fathom, up to now.

During school days, my mum forbade me from watching television. I could not read as well, nor play musical instruments, nor take part in many competitions. I could not even go out with my friends nor hang around after school. Immediately after school, I had to go home and start on my homework, and she would come home and quizzed me on the things I studied in school. If I so much as answered one wrongly, she would flare up and accused me of not paying attention in class or not revising my work after school.

It was not as if I did not pay attention. The trouble was that I could not follow what the teacher was saying. Furthermore I was in the science class, and doing subjects which I do not have aptitude for. If I was in the Arts class, and my mum quizzed me on History or Literature or Physical Geography, I would have answered all the questions rightly.

But she quizzed me on Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Elementary Mathematics and Additional Mathematics, subjects which I was totally confused over. I did not even know what I did not know! Just for that, I often ended up in shouting matches with her - she accusing me of not paying attention and caring about my studies, me telling her to get off my back and let me lead my own life.

Things changed when I reached tertiary level. This time, I was doing Arts and Humanities, and Law, subjects which I like and have more aptitude for. Even then, I did not do that well. Better as compared to when I did science, but still no straight As or A-averages. It would already be very good if I pulled a B-average, which I had to struggle like mad just to achieve it.

For a while, I did contemplate, am I cut out to study? Am I an academic person? Why is it that others can breeze through their academics so well, and it takes me forever and lots of sleepless nights just to even pass?

I tried many methods. I attended lessons faithfully. I made notes of every topic and lesson. I did mind maps. I made summaries. I made colourful notes. I am a visual person, so the colours do help a bit. Things got a bit better, but still not as good.

My ex could skip classes, played computer games the whole day (even during examination revision), sleep all the time, and yet still achieve straight As. I attended all lessons, dutifully took notes, spent sleepless nights, consulted seniors, studied everything thoroughly, and still struggled to even pass the paper(s).

I was starting to despair of ever graduating. Then in my final year (or before that), I discovered this book by an American called "How To Get Better Grades And Have More Fun!". The book gave tips on how studying need not be time-consuming, the trick is to study the right content and not just everything.

The book gave tips on how to focus on the important points that would come out during the examinations, like knowing the objectives of the course, listening to intonation of the lecturer on whether the topic is important, how to take short candid notes and not long essays as the more candid the notes, the better they are for memory. After all, it is proven that notes of one page are more effective than notes of eight pages!

Since then I tried to adapt the techniques. By going to class regularly, focusing on the right content, do coloured notes and mind maps, and ensuring understanding and analysis, not just plain rote learning. Somehow my grades in my final semester improved a lot! I still did not get A, but at least there were more Bs than Cs or Ds!

This is a really useful book, not just on study methods and exam tips, but how to manage one's time, how to be organised, and how to make good decisions that will enhance our lives. How I wish I had come across this book earlier!

Hopefully I can remember enough tips to help me in my studies, so perhaps for once, I can do really well in academics!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 The 69 Love Notes - Secrets To A Loving And Lasting Relationship By Kloudiia Tay Iing Posted by juphelia at 08:45

I have not done any book reviews for some time now. Since I have recently made it a point to catch up on all the reading and re-reading, I thought it would be a good idea to chart my progress by reviewing books each time I finish reading one. At least that will keep me going and fulfil my goal!

I thought it would be appropriate to start with a book written by a local author, who also carves a career coaching lovelorn people. Due to my recent change in status, I thought this book would be useful, or serves as a reminder of what to do and what not to do.

I bought this book solely to read the tips on making a relationship work and last. Besides, the author herself is pretty insightful and passionate about what she is doing. She is a beautiful person in her own right, both externally and internally. Her husband is a very lucky man!

In the book, the author gave sixty-nine tips on how to have a loving and lasting relationship. To be honest, the tips are not new to me. In fact, ever since I entered into my very first relationship, I already knew about those tips. The author simply put them into words and described them thoroughly.

Hence, after my own experiences, I can affirm that those tips are really what makes a relationship last. I have known them long ago, but perhaps due to youth, emotions and temper, I often let my emotional outbursts affect what I wanted to communicate, hence the relationship(s) started breaking down.

But after being single for some time, being more in control of my emotions and maturing (I hope), I swear by these tips. In fact, I used to do most of what is mentioned in the book (except the guys were either unreceptive or deemed me unreasonable and picky), and I still do them.

I bought this book, thinking I used to be unreasonable, thinking I did not do a good job the last time round, so I wanted to read the tips and ensure I do a good job this time round. Guess what? I was not unreasonable at all! Nor was I asking too much! Whatever written in the book is actually the very basics to maintain a relationship!

So I am really happy that I did know what to do after all, just perhaps the guys did not know and I did not really communicate well enough? Or that I was just doing things one-sided without much contribution from the guys? Afterall, for a relationship to really work and last, it takes two hands to clap.

So kudos to Kloudiia for her very insightful and entertaining book, with real-life examples and tips that every single looking for love, every couple in love and every married couple can use and benefit from. Hence, I will highly recommend this book to everyone!

Sunday, March 8, 2009 The Best I Could By Subhas Anandas Posted by juphelia at 13:34

I just finished reading this book by a prominent criminal lawyer. Pretty inspiring, and a different angle to the case(s) than what was reported in the papers. Having always been interested in criminal law and justice, I bought this book the moment it came out in the stores.

The book highlights his life, his childhood, how he stumbled into law and into criminal law, his first case, his health, his more prominent cases, his university years and the important people he met and rubbed shoulders with.

I have wondered about the man behind the cases. I have wondered why he would want to take on "hopeless" cases. Why must he defend those who obviously committed the crime, in the hope of getting them off scot free? Is it because of money?

Then when I read the book, at least according to him, most of the cases the client's families have no money to pay his full fees. So either he told them to go to the State to request for his services, in which case the State will pay him, or else reduce his fees. Hmmm....

Then as I read on, I realise that as a lawyer, and a criminal defence lawyer, his is not to question whether the client is guilty or not. He just wants the client to tell the truth to him and in court. Cases where the clients are obviously guilty, he will encourage them to plead guilty. He just tries his best and then leave it to the judge to hand out the final verdict.

I must say, after reading the book, our local justice system is fair and unbiased indeed! Which is why criminals seldom get away, and we have the highest number of executions per capita, for countries that still practice the death penalty.

Judging from some of his defences, he is really brilliant! I guess he does not become who and what he is by screwing up cases and making a mess in court! If I were to become a Deputy Public Prosecutor as initially thought, I would have the chance of meeting him in court, and perhaps get my evidence shredded and thrown out!

Sunday, November 30, 2008 Local Literature At Its Best Posted by juphelia at 19:58

At last, we have some breakthrough in local literature! I saw from the alumni newsletter of my alma mater (which I receive via email every month) that there is going to be a compilation of local books which have become "classics" in the local context. Helming this project will be the National Library Board and someone from the humanities department. In fact, the book has already been published!

In the Sunday Lifestyle today, I saw that our most prominent criminal lawyer has also published a book, on the cases he undertook. Always been waiting for something like this, because despite being a small and somewhat peaceful and safe place, it is stories like these that make one realise we are not as sheltered as others think, that crime and evil do occur.

Having said that, many condolences to the family of the poor girl who got bombed to death in Mumbai. Our first victim of terrorism! Not to mention Woolworth's of England has crashed! What next, I wonder? This is a very wicked world one lives in, as the late Dame Christie always mentions in her books. She had a sordid, albeit realistic view of just how cruel the world is, and it has not changed through the years. In fact, with technology, it had become worse!

Monday, August 18, 2008 Mars And Venus On A Date By John Gray Posted by juphelia at 15:31

Finally, I have finished reading this John Gray’s book, where he was talking about the five stages of dating and relationship development – Attraction, Uncertainty, Exclusivity, Intimacy, Engagement. All five stages have to be passed before the relationship can stand the test of time.

There are some important facts in the book, like how soul mates can only be determined through time and patience, and by going through the five stages, and how when the time is right, the relationship will just fall into place. In other words, it is wise to take things slow instead of rushing in.

The book mentions that most people make the mistake of jumping in too quickly, like from Stage One (Attraction) to Stage Three (Exclusivity), or worse, Stage One to Stage Four (Intimacy). The second stage (Uncertainty) is actually common and normal.

If a woman means a lot to a man, but he is unsure whether she is the one, he will often withdraw and get distant. Anyway, in his other book, men all need their own space to sort out their feelings. So by giving the man space and time to reflect, he will finally sort out his feelings and go to the next stage. In other words, be patient and wait!

However women function differently. When the dating couple have reached Stage Two (Uncertainty), the woman often panics and wonder why the man is no longer that interested in her. So she makes the mistake of starting to pursue him instead. The book says that is not recommended, as once a woman starts being more interested, the man will lose interest. Yet when the woman calls it quits and stops pursuing, the man suddenly becomes interested in her again.

Hmmm… now I know where my problem lies. In any case, it is quite true. Sometimes after the end of a relationship, the guy came back and asked to start over, but by then I had already moved on. So in Stages One and Two, sexist as that may sound, it is recommended to let the man do the pursuing.

John Gray’s analogy is that men like to please women, so it gives them no greater pleasure than to know that their date had a great time. He says if a man asks more from a woman instead of pleasing them, then they are not emotionally ready for a relationship. For instance, if he wants more intimacy than she can and is willing to offer, and he does not respect it if she says no, then he should not be looking for a solid relationship as he is clearly not prepared to be in one. Quite true actually. Only mature men are willing to go out and treat a woman well, and not the self-centredness of immature guys.

And when he withdraws, just leave him alone, with the occasional contact to find out how he is doing, or ask his advise, and spend the time with family and other friends. Women should not make the mistake of pursuing a man more than he is willing to give, as that is one sure way to kill off whatever interest he had in her!

After he has finally sorted out his feelings, he will then move on to the third stage (Exclusivity). Only at the third stage (Exclusivity), then the couple really becomes a couple. Both are committed to each other, both do things to please each other. And so on and so forth. A normal healthy relationship is only built up through time and after going through all the stages.

At the fourth stage (Intimacy), it is when the couple really knows each other, ie the bad points, the mood swings, the emotions. After all, in a relationship, one has to take the good and the bad. Only by knowing each other thoroughly can they finally move on to the last stage (Engagement).

John Gray brought up the point of soul mates. He said soul mates are not to be found instantaneously. In most cases, the couple has to go through all stages before they can determine if they are soul mates. Soul mates normally occur around the fourth stage, as only when your soul wants to be with the person, then you can talk of marriage.

His definition of a “soul” is something that is the inner core of one’s being. From infancy to adulthood, things like physical appearance, emotions, maturity, will change. However, one’s soul will always be the same, no matter how old one is. The soul is the sub-conscience, the intuition. Thus, if your soul does not feel right, then it is not right. Only when your soul feels right then it is right. So for two persons to become soul mates, both their souls have to be able to connect.

According to him, there are four kinds of chemistry – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. Physical chemistry is simply desire and attraction. Emotional chemistry is the affection both feel for each other. Mental chemistry creates interest. Spiritual chemistry creates love. A soul mate includes all four.

In most relationships, both have physical and emotional chemistry. Some may even have mental chemistry. However, most will not have a spiritual chemistry. So the affection and interest can only take it so far, and after a while, cracks will appear. But only when we find someone that encompasses all four then everything will fall into place and we can think of spending our lives with that person.

At times, both can love each other very much (Stage Four). But that does not mean both have to marry each other, because during Stage Four, if they find that they have lots of disagreements or find each other unsuitable in any way, they just cannot progress to marriage. In other words, soul mates bring out the best in each other, and not the worst. If both bring out the worst in each other (like quarrels and arguments over trifle and petty issues), then they are not soul mates, and even if they love each other, they should not bring themselves to get married.

I can so relate to that! I believe all those who have been in relationships before that did not work out can relate to that too. I used to think why if we loved each other, he just did not want to marry me in the end? He once said that he did not feel I was his soul mate, and I was wondering why did he only realize it then?

But through the years, and other broken relationships later and after reading the book, I can totally relate to it now. Essentially, if we were quarrelling over every little thing, then how could we even sustain a solid relationship, let alone a marriage? It is not so easy like what was shown in movies – they met, they fell in love, they got married. In real life, that is often not the case. You may love someone very much, but if the person is not someone you can foresee being with, then it is no point dragging on.

The book also mentions that people approach relationships very differently. There are some who are very lucky, they met, they fell in love, and the first person they dated became their soul mate. There are some who have to date a few, several, many, people before actually finding their soul mate. And there are some who may never find their soul mate for some reason.

He also says that soul mates often are not sought out; they just appear unexpectedly. And they are not perfect. They are normal humans just like us; they have their moods, their down periods, their tempers. And they may not be the best people; just that they are the best for us. But most people go for perfection, so if they feel someone is better, they just pull out. Which is a pity, because the person may just be dating his / her soul mate but miss the chance just because he may find someone “better”.

The book also mentions emotional maturity. The more people a person dates, the more one knows what one wants, the more emotionally stable one gets. After a while, the soul mate will just appear once the person gets it all together. Important thing is to approach with an open heart and mind. The more open we are, the closer we can come to finding the “right” person, as well as knowing who is “wrong” for us. And the more mistakes we make, the closer we will be able to look for who is suitable.

That is why there are cases where after dating a few people, one realizes that the soul mate is actually someone from the past. For instance, during that time, they might love each other very much but did not feel it right to get married. So they split up and started dating others. After a few experiences and becoming more emotionally mature, they realized they were the ones for each other all along, and thus got back together. When this happened, they would then be able to go by the five stages very quickly and end up with each other.

Thus, it really depends on when the time is right. After all, true love has to withstand the test of time. It is only by going through trials that the love can survive. Perhaps destiny plays a part too? If you belong to each other, no matter how much uncertainty or separation, both will still end up together.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 Goody Books Posted by juphelia at 09:49

I found a really good local online bookstore where the main author, Low Kay Hwa, is just in his early twenties. He writes about teenage stuff in school and love stories, something like Adrian Tan's The Teenage Textbook and Teenage Workbook. The illustrators are also in their late teens.

Apparently, this bookstore is owned by the author, who self-publishes his books as well. His books are mostly bought online from the store, instead of in bookshops. Rather enterprising young chap, and a really good writer too!

His book "I Believe You" sounds a lot like the first story I wrote when I was still in school, which I never did send it for publication. His stories can be read online too, just the first half of the book and synopsis of the second half. But his stories are really captivating that one just has to get the book to read the completed story and determine what the ending is!

Hmmm... perhaps I should come up with my own publishing website as well? Then all my short stories and novels can be published too? But then again, I wonder how many people will actually read my stories anyway!

Monday, January 14, 2008 Lust, Caution And The Writer Behind It Posted by juphelia at 16:48

Just now during lunch my colleague and I were discussing about the movie Lust, Caution. Its written by this author called Zhang Ai Ling, who writes rather thought-provoking stories on the different aspects of love.

So anyway, the main female character (played by the actress Tang Wei) was actually in love with her senior in school (played by Wang Lee Hom), but when she had to seduce Tony Leung as a spy, she really fell for him in the end.

My colleague was saying that in the book, the ending words are “A woman will always be a woman”, as in a woman treats love and relationships very seriously. Quite true, is it not? It is almost impossible to ask a woman (a typical woman, not those wanton types) to have a physical relationship with a guy she has no feelings for, or never been in a relationship with.

Which is why I can never understand how come guys can have one night stands or ask for sex all the time, even with strangers. For a typical woman, she can never do that. It is almost impossible for a woman to sleep with a man then just treat it as if nothing happens. Just like it is almost impossible for a woman to start liking a man, then suddenly switch off like that and treat it as if nothing has happened.

Zhang Ai Ling wrote a few more books. There was one that was also made into a movie of sorts, called “Red Rose, White Rose”. My colleague was narrating to me the story, about this guy dating both girls, one called Red Rose, the other called White Rose. Half the book is on a first scenario, the other half on the second scenario, something like the Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie “Sliding Doors”.

The first scenario was when he chose Red Rose and married her, yet kept thinking of White Rose and what could have been. The second scenario was the other way round - he chose and married White Rose, yet kept thinking of Red Rose and what could have been.

At the end of the story, the message is that a guy may claim he loves this girl and marries her, but at the end of the day, he will forever be thinking of the one he did not choose, because in life sometimes, the one you like may be one person, but the one you end up marrying and have children with may be another person.

How true! Actually girls also behave this way. But for me, I can never agree to marry someone I do not love, wholly and totally, with all my heart because it will be only unfair to the guy if I agree to be with him and marry him, yet cannot reciprocate the love he shows me.

Because to me marriage is for life, so even though I do hope to get married some time within the next few years or so, at the same time I will not just settle down with anyone. The one I settle down with is someone whom I really love with all my heart, and vice versa of course. Someone I really want to be with and live with, carve a future with. I

am not sure if guys are like that, but one thing about girls, especially a highly emotionally strung one like myself, if we really like a guy very much, we will try to do things to show our care and concern, to make him happy, and even if he has no response or just a little response, it will make our day.

However, if it is someone we have no feelings for, no matter how much the guy does for us, we will somehow not be touched. Unfair I know, but such is the complexity of feelings. One can give so much to someone who never appreciates you, but yet not accept the one who truly appreciates you.

There was also another story by the same author, where the ending sentence is something like “The furthest distance is not how far apart two people are, but how close they are to each other, yet never know how much they love each other.” In the original text, it is “人与人最远的距离不是分开多久，而是在你身边，却不知道他有多么的爱你.” Beautiful!

Saturday, July 21, 2007 A Hopeless Romantic By Harriet Evans Posted by juphelia at 00:02

I was away recently and made the mistake of not packing in a book or two on my journey, hence I was so bored en route to London. Once we touched down in London, I went to one of the bookshops at the airport immediately and bought two books - one is "A Hopeless Romantic" by Harriet Evans, and the other "Me And Mr Darcy" by Alexandra Potter, both English writers. Obviously my mum frowned at the type of books I picked out. She said it was all these books that made me forever live in my own world and not be more realistic. Oh well....

"A Hopeless Romantic", as the title suggests, is on how a well-educated lady, Laura, being always so full of the idea of love, that she would start to picture herself in a dream world with her dream guy, each time she, erh, fell in love. She always used her heart more than her head, and thought the guy was the one for her, when everyone else (her best friend, her modern grandmother, her boss) told her otherwise. In the end, she had her heart broken again and started moping. Sounds like me actually, or rather, sounds like the old me.

Anyway one day, she was helping out with her best friend's wedding and met this guy who happened to be a friend of the groom. Both of them started going out, meeting more often, until the day of the wedding when they actually got involved with each other. The catch was that he had a steady girlfriend. Yet he always said he loved Laura and not his girlfriend, but he was not willing to leave her due to her foul temper. So whenever he had a quarrel with the girl, he would then go to Laura and they ended up just shagging the life out of each other.

Due to this, she neglected a lot of things - her friends, her work, her family. She was on standby all the time in case he visited or called, each time she wanted to break up or talk things through he would always change the subject. Her friends got mad at her, she got suspended from her work as she received numerous complaints and warnings, even her parents and grandmother got unduly worried about her.

Until one day, he said he wanted to talk to her. She thought finally they could be together, but unfortunately, he said his girlfriend was pregnant. She knew then that she had to get out. There was nothing left to talk about. After that, she went on a moping mode for two days, then went on a family gathering to Norfolk, where her grandmother had a house to celebrate the grand matriarch's birthday. She resolved to be a new person, one that used her head for once, and not allow any more men to ruin her life just like that.

Meanwhile, the guy's girlfriend kept messaging her nasty words of insult and ridicule. But she had become indifferent so deleted all the messages. Even when the guy came looking for her again or when their friends updated her on what went on with those two, she treated as if nothing happened.

In Norfolk, she wanted to forget the past and start life anew. She wanted to just focus on her grandmother's birthday party, until she met a guy while on an estate tour, was impressed by his sense of humour and agreed to meet him for a casual drink. After the first drink, they met for dinner, then picnic, then party. She realised later that he happened to be a Marquess, the owner of the estate.

She realised that the old her would want herself to be a marchioness, but the new her, after using her head (for once), realised that they belonged to two different worlds. So when she went back to London, she did not want to keep in contact and went back to her old life. She got her job back, hung out with her friends and family.

In the end, it turned out that what she liked about the marquess was that he was a normal person. They shared a connection and had amazing chemistry from the start, something which she never had with the other guys. So even if she had her heart broken so many times, it was not fair to shut him out of her life just because she wanted to start life anew, as sometimes, the right one comes without one knowing.

This story so relates to me! The main character, the way she thinks, the way she behaves, even her experiences (okay, I am still not that bad at least), and her latest relationship flop. How we always use our hearts more than our heads. How we resolve to go on a holiday to become a new person, and did. I am very lucky indeed that I have not received any nasty messages from anyone's partner at least.

In her case, she met the ultimate love of her life while on holiday. In my case? Well, I did not meet any ultimate love of my life while overseas, but I believe he is there, somewhere. I only need to believe and not give up, and I am sure my happiness will come one day.

Friday, February 16, 2007 Books Are Food For The Brain Posted by juphelia at 23:03

Just as music is the food for the soul (or, in the words of a certain bard "food of love", in his "night" comedy), books are the food for the brain and mind. Food we eat get digested into the stomach, we gyrate to the music, but in reading, it enriches our mind and opens our world into other things. A good book is determined by the reader not putting it down and devouring page by page, and when he / she is finally done, close the book and sigh and have all kinds of mixed feelings. That is how I usually feel when I read a real good book.

The common complaint about Singaporeans per se is that they do not read enough. When I was in school, primary through secondary, my classmates and I could actually discuss about books, recommend readings to each other and generally comparing one book to another, one author to another. Yet when I entered tertiary, I could hardly find anyone to discuss books with me. That was really disappointing as I always thought if people could score well enough to enter university, they should be rather well-read, is it not? Later am I to find out that students here are only exam-smart, but when it comes to other things, they have no idea (not all of course).

I attended another lecture earlier on. Needless to say, today's session was only half full. So close to the Chinese New Year, the Chinese themselves have other commitments than attending classes. I would not have gone except the lecture covered philosophy, Shakespeare and poetry, a few of my favourite topics, so I would never miss it for anything!

Just as well I went for classes, as in the end, I managed to get some set books for my course (which is way too advanced reading), as well as some books which are not required for my course but I got them anyway as I like the story and author. I spent close to S$400.00 on books alone! (Note to self : no more splurging for the rest of the month!) One will wonder how in the world I can get so many books, but this is nothing already. Should see me during book fairs when I could grab almost half the stock!

Anyway, here are the books, which I feel make rather good reading :

1. Snow Flower And The Secret Fan (Lisa See)
2. Top Girls (Caryl Churchill)
3. A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen)
4. Far From The Madding Crowd (Thomas Hardy)
5. The Awakening And Other Stories (Kate Chopin)
6. The Portrait Of A Lady (Henry James)
7. Five Plays (Anton Chekhov)
8. Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)
9. The Woman In White (Wilkie Collins)
10. Orlando (Virgina Woolf)
11. Life of Galileo (Bertolt Brecht)
12. Waiting For Godot (Samuel Beckett)
13. Prufrock And Other Observations (T. S. Eliot)
14. Table For Three : More Tales Of Saffy And Amanda (Jason Hahn)
15. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time (Mark Haddon) - the first edition with the small red cover
16. Poirot : The Complete Ariadne Oliver (Volume 2) (Agatha Christie)
17. Poirot : Four Classic Cases (Agatha Christie)
18. The Inheritance Of Loss (Kiran Desai) - finally managed to get a copy!
19. The Diary Of Lady Murasaki (translated by Richard Bowring)
20. The Origin Of Species (Charles Darwin)
21. Animal Farm (George Orwell)
22. At First Sight (Nicholas Sparks)
23. True Believer (Nicholas Sparks)
24. The Wedding (Nicholas Sparks) - a pity I could not find "The Notebook", otherwise the set will be complete!
25. This Thing Of Darkness (Harry Thompson) - a whopping 875 pages, no less!

Sunday, December 31, 2006 The Diary Of Anne Frank Posted by juphelia at 11:05

My last book review of the year. I thought to write something that has touched and inspired me ever since young. I first read this book as part of the reading programme back in Secondary One, and I was hooked. The book itself combines history, education, pains of adolescence and eight Jewish people's survival during the holocaust known as the second world war.

Recently I acquired the complete version entitled "The Diary of Anne Frank : The Revised Critical Edition", which has all three versions of the diary (original version, Anne Frank's editions and her father Otto Frank's final edition for publications), her "Tales From The Secret Annex", as well as her only novel "Cady's Life" (which she did not manage to complete).

While re-reading and doing a more in-depth understanding of the book, I gained a better insight into her life, how she felt, the atrocities of war and the typical young adolescent girl's problems in growing up, first love and blossoming. I could relate to a certain extent, as I went through almost the same thing while growing up, but of course, I have been very lucky never to experience war, or be persecuted or had to go into hiding.

The book related to human nature in many aspects, shows the best and worst in people in situations, and the story itself is as life as ever can be. It is just like Anne Frank is living all over again, talking to people about her life and situation, just like the blogs of late.

I imagine if she is living in the modern world now, she will be blogging and communicating with everyone. But in this way, perhaps her diary will never get famous. Perhaps the book is so famous worldwide can be it was written by someone who passed away during the war, and also it was a fulfillment of her legacy by her father. If she is to have a blog rather than a diary which was published, would she have gained world wide fame?

Monday, November 20, 2006 The Little Prince By Antoine De Saint-Exupery Posted by juphelia at 08:31

My first book review after a long while. What more appropriate than to start with the late Monsier Antoine de Saint-Exupery's tale of childlike innocence and charm as evidenced by the main hero?

It was a while back that I read the book. At that point in time, the book did not affect me that much save for the fact that it is a good enough story to warrant a second read. And I am the type that once I come across a real good book, I can read that over and over again, even after I memorise every word and every character and their actions, I will still read the book again!

I finished the book within slightly more than an hour last night. And this time, the messages stick in my mind. Perhaps now that I am reading this as an adult, and seeing the story through the eyes of a child, but somehow the story hits me more intensely this time than previous time.

Lessons learnt from the cute little prince :

1. Adults frown upon children being artistically-inclined. Any budding artist will be put down and told to concentrate on mathematics, geography and grammar. As a result, kids grow up forgetting how to draw, and not being able to see the actual beauty of pictures.

2. Kids are inquisitive. They will ask lots of questions, but sometimes expecting no answers. Adults tend to brush kids off when they ask questions, and then kids will start to wonder why the adults are so odd and impatient.

3. When doing a presentation in one's native village wear, no one will believe you even if the facts are accurate. However, if the same person does the same presentation wearing a Western suit and tie, everybody will believe.

4. When children meet someone new, they will ask, "What games do you prefer?"
When adults meet someone new, they will ask, "How much do you earn?"

5. Adults will not understand if children describe a house as having a beautiful garden full of geraniums. However, if the house is described as being ten thousand pounds, adults will understand.

6. Wait for the sun to set. Watch the twilight falling whenever one feels like it, because when one is terribly sad, one loves sunsets. (And so do I! I prefer sunset to sunrise anytime!)

7. Adults always brush kids aside, saying they are busy with "serious matters". But they do not stop to smell the roses.

8. If someone loves a flower of which there is only one on the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy when he looks at them for he can say to himself, "My flower is out there", the same flower which tried to love him back in its own way, but which caused him to leave it due to its pride. (And such is love among two people.)

9. Adults think of themselves as having magnificent air of authorities and expect the children to succumb to their words with no questions asked, simply because they said so.

10. Adults are conceited. They think only of having admirers and will never imagine if their hats or heads will ever be lowered.

11. Adults do things they are ashamed of, yet they continue doing the same thing to forget their shame.

12. Adults are so busy with doing business and making money that they have no time to pay attention to the beauty surrounding them. And they own things which may not be useful to them, simply because they want to own them.

13. Adults follow rules and regulations simply because they were told to follow, even if all else no longer makes sense.

14. Men actually occupy very little space on Earth. If everybody on Earth is to stand upright and crowd together, they can easily live on a tiny islet in the Pacific. But adults will never believe as they think they take up a lot of space.

15. To tame is to establish ties and make someone or something unique to you. Otherwise, it will just be one in hundreds, no need for any one.

16. Men have no time to understand anything as they buy ready-made things from shops. But since there are no shops where one can buy friends, men have no friends.

17. Friendship requires patience, speaking with your eyes and just keeping quiet and being there.

18. An ordinary passer-by would think that one's rose is just like any other's rose, but to the person, the rose is unique as the rose was the one he / she has watered, put in a glass dome, killed caterpillars for. And it was the rose that the person listened to and boasted about, because the rose belongs to the person. (Just like love, the guy / girl can be just anyone on the streets, but to the partner, he / she is the one that belongs as each other is the one the other has nurtured, talked about and developed.)

19. It is only with one's heart that one can see so clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. (Very true!)

20. It is the time you lavished on your rose that is so important. (Again, very true! It is the time spent with people that render them so important.)

21. Adults will sleep in a carriage, but it is the children that will press their faces against the glass panels and see the scenery outside, as it is the children that know what they are looking for.

I probably do not make much sense here, but the essential message is that a child's innocence somehow do not get retained in an adult. Is it because throughout the process of growing up, everything we used to love since young, the simple things that make our lives happy and satisfied, are all forgotten in the thrive of work and materialism?

I will recommend this book to everyone, kids and adults alike. Kids will be able to read and understand the messages better, and adults will be able to read and get in touch with the lost child in them. May everyone not lose touch with their child-like side!

Sunday, November 19, 2006 A Floating Book Fair Posted by juphelia at 01:05

The ship MV Doulos is berthed alongside the new ViVo City. It is holding a book fair. Since it is an international book fair, and it is the first time I came across a book fair on a ship, we went up the ship to take a look. And luckily we did, otherwise I would not have found things which I have been looking for so long!

The weather was very hot today, and it was very crowded, so we took a while before we managed to board the ship. It is not a very big ship, nothing compared to those tankers and container ships which my former company owns and manages.

After boarding, we followed the crowd and went round to the back, where the book fair is. The space is not that big for a book fair, but considering for such a limited space, the variety of books are pretty comprehensive indeed, and they are arranged neatly, better than those book fairs held in exhibition halls!

Needless to say, it was jam-packed with people. And it was very stuffy as well, since the ship's covers were down to prevent sunlight from streaming in, hence blocking out the wind at the same time. Still, I managed to get two volumes of Wordsworth Classic Stories collection consisting of all the books I used to love since young and which I have been trying to get my hands on them!

So now I have the complete and unabridged versions of The Little Prince, Grimm's Fairy Tales, The Water Babies, Just So Stories, Peter Pan, English Fairy Tales, Aesop's Fables, The Wind In The Willows, The Wizard Of Oz, Andersen's Fairy Tales, Treasure Island, The Railway Children, Little Women, Alice In Wonderland, The Jungle Book, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty, Robin Hood and Kidnapped.

Heavenly bliss! Now I can relive all the classic great literature of the times, and not fretting where to find more books to while my time away, since these books are likely to keep me occupied for another month at least! I was so excited at finding this "treasure" that I was totally oblivious to the fact that the small cashier there accepts only cash!

As a result, I almost caused an embarrassment by not having enough cash, but luckily he managed to have enough to pay for me. I feel so bad for him because although for twenty books of this calibre, the amount paid is considered a good deal, but still it is not as cheap as some other books on display.

While we were queuing at the cashier, all eyes were riveted on the two collections I was holding. One lady even asked where I found those books. Somehow I get this feeling am I the only one who will actually read books like these? The section where I managed to find the collection looked pretty untouched. The rest of those in the queue had more "practical" non-fiction books.

Besides the book exhibition, there is also a mini cafe and inf0rmation counter. The place is like a mini United Nations since the employees come from many countries. Overall, it is a refreshing experience, but for the stuffiness. The good thing about this floating book fair is that it is not time-consuming, so we only needed half an hour to wander around the whole place.

For those interested, the ship will be leaving after the 24th November. So catch it before it is gone!

Saturday, August 26, 2006 My Book List Posted by juphelia at 00:15

Since I am re-starting school in January, I thought of checking out the latest reading list so I can do some preparatory work. And I almost fainted when I saw the list. Just for set books alone, not counting reference and academic books, I have to read about ninety in order to fulfil the requirements of the entire course!

Since I will be taking sixteen modules, minus away four modules of English Language, that leaves twelve modules of English Literature, which makes an average of eight books per module. Now I think my previous tertiary course is more relaxed in comparison, since I only need to read an average of five books per module.

Just in case something happens to the hardcopy of the list, I may as well have a copy of the reading list so there will always be easy reference. And here goes... a time for stress and headaches....

1. Medea and Other Plays, Euripedes (trans. P. Vellacott) (Penguin)
2. Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw (Penguin)
3. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys (ed. Angela Smith) (Penguin)
4. The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer (Why not include Troilus and Criseyde instead?)
5. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (Oxford World's Classics)
6. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, 1818 text (Oxford World's Classics)
7. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens (Oxford World's Classics)
8. Fathers and Sons, Ivan Turgenev (Oxford World's Classics)
9. A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen (Dover - Constable)
10. Top Girls, Caryl Churchill (Methuen Student Edition)
11. Henry V
12. Othello
13. As You Like It
all by William Shakespeare (New Penguin Shakespeare)
14. The Colour Purple, Alice Walker (The Women's Press)
15. The Rover, Aphra Behn
16. A Misummer Night's Dream
17. Richard II
18. Macbeth
19. Antony and Cleopatra
20. Hamlet
21. Measure For Measure
22. Twelfth Night
23. King Lear
24. The Tempest
25. Cymbeline
26. The Sonnets
all by William Shakespare (Norton Shakespeare)

(WAIT A MINUTE! NO ROMEO AND JULIET?! WHY??????????????)

27. Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf (Flamingo - an imprint of Harper Collins)
28. A Portrait Of An Artist As A Young Man, James Joyce (Flamingo)
29. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen (Penguin Books)
30. Cousin Bette, Honore de Balzac (Penguin Books)
31. On The Eve, Ivan Turgenev (Penguin Books)
32. Middlemarch, George Eliot (Penguin Books)
33. What Maisie Knew, Henry James (Penguin Books)
34. Tess Of The D'Ubervilles, Thomas Hardy (Penguin Books)
35. Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain (Penguin Books)
36. Germinal, Emile Zola (Penguin Books)
37. Anna Karenin, Leo Tolstoy (Penguin Books)
38. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad (Penguin Books)
39. Three Novellas, D H Lawrence (Penguin Books)
40. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (Oxford University Press World Classics)
41. Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka (Minerva Books - an imprint of Reed International)
42. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen (Oxford World's Classics)
43. The Awakening, Kate Chopin (Oxford World's Classics)
44. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte (Oxford World's Classics)
45. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins (Oxford World's Classics)
46. Dombey and Son, Charles Dickens (Oxford World's Classics)
47. Madam Bovary, Gustave Flaubert (Penguin)
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy (Oxford World's Classics)
49. Portrait Of A Lady, Henry James (Oxford World's Classics)
50. Dracula, Bram Stoker
51. Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (Heinemann International)
52. Empire Of The Son, J. G. Ballard (Grafton)
53. Mother Courage, Bertolt Brecht (Methuen)
54. The Outsider, Albert Camus (Penguin)
55. The Waste Land and Other Poems, T. S. Eliot (Faber & Faber)
56. A Passage To India, E. M. Forster (Penguin)
57. England Made Me, Graham Greene (Penguin)
58. The Virgin And The Gypsy, D H Lawrence (Penguin)
59. Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison (Vintage)
60. In A Free State, V. S. Naipaul (Picador)
61. The Painter Of Signs, R. K. Narayan (Penguin)
62. Madmen and Specialists, Wole Soyinka (Methuen)
63. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark (Penguin)
64. Officers and Gentlemen, Evelyn Waugh (Penguin)
65. Five Plays, Anton Chekhov (Oxford University Press)
66. Selected Stories, Katherine Mansfield (Oxford University Press)
67. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic-Gibbon (Canongate)
68. Poetry of the Thirties, Robin Skelton (ed.) (Penguin)
69. Prufrock and Other Observations, T. S. Eliot (Faber & Faber)
70. Life of Galileo, Bertolt Brecht (Methuen Student Edition)
71. Orlando, Virginia Woolf (Oxford University Press)
72. Labyrinths With Path Of Thunder, Christopher Okigbo
73. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier (Virago)
74. HOWL and Other Poems, Allen Ginsberg (City Lights)
75. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, Phillip K. Dick (SF Masterworks)
76. Kiss Of The Spiderwoman, Manuel Puig (Vintage)
77. Waiting For Godot, Samuel Beckett (Samuel French Ltd)
78. New Selected Poems 1966 - 1987, Seamus Heaney (Faber & Faber)
79. Paradise, Abdulrazak Gurnah (Bloomsbury)
80. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (Penguin)
81. The Conservationist, Nadine Gordimer (Penguin)
82. Hinterland : Afro Caribbean and Black British Poetry, E. A. Markham (ed.) (Bloodaxe Books)
83. Have You Seen Zandile?, G Mhlope, T. Mitshali, M. Vanrenen (Heinemann / Methuen)
84. Rich Like Us, Nayantara Sahgal (Sceptre)
85. The Port Elizabeth Plays, Athol Fugard, ed. D. Walder (Oxford University Press)
86. Burger's Daughter, Nadine Gordimer (Penguin)
87. The Lonely Londoners, Sal Selvon (Longman)
88. Selected Poems, Rabindranath Tagore, ed. and trans. W. Radice (Penguin)
89. Poems selected by Seamus Heaney, William Butler Yeats (Faber)
90. The Iliad, Homer, translated by R. Lattimore (University of Chicago Press)
91. The Odyssey of Homer, Homer, translated by R. Lattimore (Harper Perennial)

Whew! Is it any wonder why I used to be called a nerd and geek?

Sunday, May 21, 2006 The Da Vinci Code Movie Posted by juphelia at 11:15

Solve this anagram : A Man's Oil. I am surprised at myself that I managed to solve it the moment I saw the promotion poster outside the theatre. Answer : Mona Lisa.

But I am so happy that I can finally watch the movie which I have waited almost a year for. When we reached the theatre, it was such a long queue, from in front of the box office all the way to the middle of the shopping mall.

Since we were almost right at the back of the queue, we could not even see the timings on the little screen properly. What luck that we are both deeply myopic and do not have perfect vision even with lenses on.

So I stayed in the queue and he went in front to check out the timings. He came back and told me that almost all the shows have sold out, all the way until the midnight show. What?! He said we could always watch another show and watch this the following week.

No way! I waited so long just to watch the movie! Besides, I am looking forward to "X-Men" next week! Even if it is not Da Vinci, I want to watch Tom Hanks in action!

So we decided to try our luck at the theatre in the next shopping mall. And luckily this time we managed to get tickets, not just for Da Vinci, but "Over The Hedge" as well.

Tom Hanks put up a superb performance, as usual. The movie is more than just an adaptation; it is almost the entire book itself. Every character, every scene, every action, it is just as if I am reading the book all over again, but with moving pictures this time instead of just words.

The only part that was changed is around the end when Sophie discovered her true identity, and the identity of her grandfather. The movie-makers decided to change that part probably to make it more interesting, but actually, I feel the book's ending is still better.

Overall a very good movie of the drama genre. Although we are wondering what garnered the NC-16 rating, since there is no nudity or coarse language or real violence anywhere. Perhaps it is the storyline. But then, the book has been read by kids as young as nine even, so does it really matter even if kids below the age of sixteen get to watch it?

It is true that a picture speaks a thousand words. I never know how magnificent the Louvre is until I saw it on screen, or how beautiful the Mona Lisa and Madonna of the Rocks are. Da Vinci was a genius indeed, to be able to create such artistry using just a few colours. And it was after reading the book that I started looking at the Last Supper a little differently.

The book and the show is just fiction. Dan Brown was sued for blasphemy because of his works. And Christians worldwide are protesting to ban the show. However, a good piece of fiction is a good piece of fiction.

People should just keep an open mind and understand that everything is just fiction. Just because one reads the book or watch the movie, does not automatically mean one becomes a betrayer of the faith. It is how you live your life and practice the faith that determines a good Christian, not because of some author's good imagination.

Sunday, March 26, 2006 V For Vendetta And The Shakespeare Collection Posted by juphelia at 13:02

Remember remember the Fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

The nursery rhyme written exclusively for Guy Fawkes Day in 1605 England, where a group of conspirators were plotting to bomb the Parliament House. They were all hanged for treason, but their idea lingered on.

So sayeth V, while he tried to bomb the Big Ben of London in the opening scene of "V For Vendetta". Beautiful language, beautiful speech, and I love the way he manages to enrich my sparse vocabulary by speaking in all kinds of words beginning with the letter 'V'.

The movie itself was on oppression by the government of its people, and only through mass rallies, riots and bombs to make statements that the government could be overthrown. Thus, gunpowder treason should be a lesson not just on the public minds, but also the government in order to have peace.

My friend loves the show, and he is in awe of the way the character V was speaking. He says he wished he could speak like that. Fast, fluent, real proper English, yet manages to get the message across at the same time.

Speaking of the beauty of the English language, I managed to get a treasure yesterday. A treasure to me, at least, in the form of a thick hard-cover book with gold-lined pages and printed on thin white paper, with the title "Shakespeare : The Complete Works", and a colour portrait of the Bard himself on the cover.

I cannot believe I actually found it at a rental book store! I have been looking for a book like this for ages! A compilation of all of Shakespeare's works in chronological order, from his first play to his last, his poems and sonnets, with a biography and an introduction. What a find!

I was rather hesitant to get the book, since it was rather expensive, but I succumbed to temptation and so, the book is now in my hands! And I must say, the bookstore owner seemed relieved to get rid of that book, probably because no one would ever buy it. I am probably the only one insane enough to get a book like this - thick, bulky, heavy, very small print, expensive.

But now that such a treasure is in my hands, I will slowly devour page by page, and immerse myself in the beauty of the olde English language once again! Now if only I can get my hands on the chocolate book, it will be another treasure for me!

Friday, March 17, 2006 Book Search Posted by juphelia at 00:56

If anyone knows where to find this book “Chocolate For The Woman’s Soul”, kindly let me know. I have tried the libraries, bookstores and online, but to no avail. I am looking for the book desperately!

Many thanks in advance!