The long wait

The one hour wait was tolerable with the company of the Hunger Games book 2 "Catching Fire" and the friendly staff. Before 5pm, one of them went around apologizing for the long wait and gave out these cookies.

I am a cat

A year or so ago, I tried reading a few pages of this book by Soseki Natsume at the library but somehow I couldn't connect with the writing style and didn't borrow the book. Recently, when HM lent me his friend's book, I gave it another go and have read till page 47. So far it has been engaging. The nameless cat is quite humorous in his observations of the humans around him. I have just stopped reading as I couldn't resist posing Bob next to the book. Hee :)

Pink Magic and books

So sweet of the girls to give these craft and sewing books as my birthday present. I like to flip through the pages and hope one day will really make stuff for myself and my friends :)

I borrowed 2 books from the library. "How to talk to your cat" will teach me how to meow properly to the cats. haha. Just kidding. It explains the behaviour of the cats and through understanding them, we will be able to communicate with them better. Meow.

I saw Kino selling Japanese the Manga Way at $40+. I thought why not borrow from the library to see if the book is worth buying. The writer used selected panels from some manga to explain Japanese grammar. This book is recommended on Amazon and some forums on how to learn and improve Japanese on your own. I have yet to start on the book but I hope soon over the coming long weekend.

"Never let me go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

My eyes feel tired and it is partly due to me reading for a few hours till bedtime (midnight) the past few nights. I was excited to get hooked on "Never let me go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. I don't read as much as I like and I'm picky. This could be the only book I read in the last 6 months, I think. I can't even remember the last book I read. Hee.

I couldn't stop reading the book after flipping the first few pages, so I tried to read as much as I can on the bus and train to and from office and at night. It is not a happy story. I didn't cry but I do feel a little sad for Kath, Tommy and Ruth who had to fend for themselves and in the end had their hopes dashed. Even after they all came together and cleared the misunderstandings, it seemed that they had to accept their fate which was something bigger than themselves. There are some unanswered questions. Maybe the movie (starring Carey Mulligan of "An Education" and Keira Knightley) can help me understand better.

I've found a few good reviews on the book and the movie, but they are a bit of a spoiler:

• Guardian
• New York Times
• Sydney Morning Herald
• movie review
  

weekend meals

For lunch yesterday, I whipped up a simple dish by stir frying green veggies, shitake mushroom, minced beef, bean curd with a little help from Mum. Every bite was satisfying- not very oily and salty.

Mum was very nice to make me a bowl of Quaker Oats when I commented I was getting hungry and would hunt for food after I finished ironing my mountain of clothes at around 9pm. I happily lapped up the oats with milk while reading the Claidi collection book that BAM lent to me.

For lunch today, I oven toasted cheddar cheese with 3 sliced shitake mushrooms on bread.
(before toasting)
(after toasting)
It tasted surprisingly good. I can consider preparing that for lunch @ work :)

The Kite Runner

I finished reading this book Joan gave me early last year.Written by Khaled Hosseini, it explores friendship, war, courage, family, love, cruelty, hatred, forgiveness, etc. It is a very good story and once again, I couldn't help but feel fortunate that I am born in Singapore surrounded by my family and friends.

Reading fever

No baking today. I continued reading Alain de Botton's "How Proust can change your life". It's an insightful book. My friend lent me this and another of his book "The consolations of philosophy". I prefer this book to the other one as it is witty and I could relate to parts of the book. For example, in one of the chapters aptly named "How to open your eyes", it talks about how beauty can be found in simple and ordinary things like bowls of fruits, bread and sometimes the work of some artists can bring out the charm in the environment we are so used to seeing everyday. There is no need to be envious of others or wish we are surrounded with glittery things or expensive objects to be happy.

The 2nd book I read was Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic & Sister - a birthday present from a friend. This is my first time reading her book and any books about shopping. At times, I do find the main character Becky Bloomwood a little irritating at not able to curb her shopping addiction but she can be endearing sometimes, especially towards the end. It is an easy read as compared to de Botton's books which require some digestion and pondering of personal values.