Books on a Saturday

Are we what we read? If so, what does these tell about me? A snapshot of my bookshelf . Rather untidy, as I haven't got the space.



Looking forward to the family trip in less than a month!

Side note, here is the luxurious brunch at mimolette after my hike with my hiking buddies aka my siblings ( haha, the first trip to bukit timah).


My breakfast eggs benedict.

January is turning out to be smooth and nice.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

facebook and tony parson

Alright, according to my blogger status, my last update was 8may09. Phew, not that i'm tracking, but as far as i know, there has been update every month since this blog ever started. Sure dont wish for a gap month on the archive column. Hate to break that streak.

Maybe one reaches a certain age and one just doesn blog anymore. Taking a break from typing seems so much the easier option. In fact, more often than not, i come online and all i find myself doing is facebooking, just mouse clicks here and there. I'm not even checking personal emails. I reckon, no one really send personal mails now, except for forwarded links, funny you tube videos, spam mails attempting to boost one's libido.

When has personal email become targets for such adverts and spam? Little wonder people turn to facebooking cos it truely reflects what one does online. Be it some personality quizzes to determine your birth number, your actual birth age, your actual secondary school what not.Isnt it strange? Why deem actual, hence insinuating that we are actually living in a "virtual" era? Paradox. Or, to write down how you are actually feeling via status update. "xxxx is( fill in the blanks).... how many hours ago."

And let's not forget the games, and the scores, be it that glorious victory over that friend who topped you just few mins ago, or if you first started and your pathetic score was published.i came to understand you can hide the shame.

Me, i cant seem to get into the hang and momentum of the above 2 activities. Nope, yet to do a single quiz, and yet to play the highly regarded "Bejewelled".I'm just into photos upload. Just like to see photos of friends and strangers.

Quite sad actually if you should ask me, people around me are like hitting 75K in bejewelled, knowing that they should be with what type of person, their desired occupation, their birth number and i know none about myself. I cant really share that with people unless i take the first step to try in facebook,upload applications, take up that quiz. But i just aint into it.

Have i reached that stage? Anyway, i started reading Man and Wife by Tony Parson. Glad to add i really love this man. His way of writing. Its sense of humour and touch of reality makes it a really good read.

I like how there's really no bad guy or good guy in the story. Cos life aint that clear cut black and white. In this story, the main cast Harry Silver plays a romantic man, a good father, a good son, but sadly, * at least this is consistent with most stories we hear about men*, he cheated on his 1st wife, contemplated with cheating on his 2nd wife, thinking of running away with his gf. Sounds like a jerk doesn he?

Not really, when you put yourself in his shoes, that's what Parson is capable of. True feelings, perspectives otherwise left uncovered due to stereotypes, self-centring's views imposed upon us as we grow up.

Some points that strike me fro the book, abit lazy to pick the book up to copy line by line.
**********

When one couple enter a divorce, it's the grandparents that suffers the negligence. Cos, the kid now have to spend time with both parents apart, there's hardly time for the grand pop and grand mom.

I personally love this one-- they only pronounced you anything twice in your life. Once when you are husband and wife, the other when you are dead.

When you're young, its "i love you because i need you", When you're old it is "i need you because i love you". Nothing wrong with either, just that the latter tend to last longer...

The way to keep a marriage going is to keep falling in love with each other.

*******
of course, there were some stand up comedy jokes by Eamon a character in the novel, which i had a great laugh but i could rem any off hand.

Anyway, that's about all i can think of unloading off my mind. Some memories which i'll want to keep. One day, when Facebook is no longer in the fad, i'll be able to relish the days of Facebook applications, "knocking" a few beers off with your friends, sending a gift, "buying" your friends, virtual marriage. And who knows.. a virtual divorce just to complete today's reality statistics.
=p

side note: photography course ending this month.

H=R/E

Tell me.

How do you know this is what you ever wanted? That you are happy and you will always be??

***************

Read this off a book, someone came up with the mathematical formula of happines= R/E

R: Reality
E: Expectations

To be happier, you either improve your reality or lower ur expectations. Oh, dont ask me what happen if E=0, i belive once ur born into this world, you're bound to have at least some expectations.

No expectation, no happiness, infinity happines= nothingness since it cannot be define. That's how i think i will intepret.

Point is, do you agree?

I shared this over breakfast with my family, and my baby bro aka Youngest bro was like... How can it be measured? This is intangible. Is he true? If we were to put a value to happiness, it can be traded for something of equal value or more.

However, something that used to make u happy may not make u happy in a different time aka reality. As mentioned in the book"19 minutes"

Say u used to be the prestigious few who earns $50,000/mth (in say 10 months ago) and you were happy at that time, 10 months later, you earn $50,000/mth (still within ur expectation) but so is everyone else (reality check), there your happines drop.

so, what makes me happy now, wont neccessary makes me happy in the future, unless i lower my expectations, or improve upon it. It's easier to lower.. but that's commonly camouflaged by the way"contentment". You can say, that's a wimp's point of view for not contending.



*******

By the way, i wanted to compile the answers i've gotten for this question that i posed on MSN.
" What is hard to gain but easy to lose?"
Answers gotten:

1. Money (most common answer)
2. Job/ career
3. Trust
....


i know some will hate me for saying this, but for me: 4. Weight =P

i think i'm missing out some other answers. Do tell me if i forgot to add urs.

Current read

Book at the moment: "19 minutes" by Jodi Picoult

Still reading, still enjoying.

Totally agreed:

"Ms Picoult has carved her own niche with her novels-one part romance, one part courtroom thriller, two parts social commentary- Dallas Morning News"

Current Affairs

Comes to the point when i dont know how to blog such that the contents turned out exactly what i want. To a point in time, i want to be happy reading my work and not just dread releasing it for the mere thought of purging it out of my system, finding it repulsive to read it again.

So, instead of trying a way to start penning. I'll do this.

1. Current Music: Soundtrack of "Stepmum"
2. Current Background: Star Movie" Stepmum"
3. Place: Mum's bedroom on ikea arm chair
4. Outfit: my St Nicks' PE Tshirt and AJ's shorts
5. Last food ate: Curry chicken rice which mum bought from outside(lunch which happen to be my breakfast)
6. Time i woke up: 1. plus pm
7. Time i slept last night: 3.plus am
8. Time i got home last night: 2 plus am this morning
24 hour question
9. Most interesting thing done for the past 24 hours: went threading for the first time with von w at Little India!
10. Most boring thing done for the past 24 hours: waiting for a consultant.
11. Most interesting food: Crepe at the fountain place restaurant at erm.. Raffles Place shopping center basement.

12. Most repelling fact: i'm turning 24. (yes, trying to play with the 24 hour thingy. 24 24). and No, this is not a hint whatso ever. and Yes, since i'm on the topic.. why not?i'm turning 24 peepz.
13. Ok, stop the 24 hour issue

14. Current book: The time traveller's wife
15. Current line: Dont' ask me
16. Current wish-list activity: Throwing a huge snow ball.
17. Plans for tom: A date with my parents to watch "memoirs of geisha"
18. Supposed to : windsurfing at 11 am today
19. Most crazy idea: Playing with the tot of time-travelling. Trying to find a loophole. or blackhole. or void. In the book, it was mentioned that time-travellers dont reveal themselves. I'm telling u now. I'm trustworthy. Reveal if you are.
20. Last alcoholic drink: Ice wine. my two brothers polished the bottle i bought leaving me with like.. 3 cm tall icewine.
21. Wish-list season: Autumn.
22. Most updated current wish-list activity: Autumn-playing on a swing, sipping wine, with a pinic basket full of my fav fruit-strawberry. coloured leaves, with my camera.
23. What's around me: My sister updating my mum on her dinner-cum-dance. Discovery channel.
24. Stopping at this number. becos i'm approaching this number and also, i ran out of ideas.