Sunday, January 24, 2016

Franny and Zooey

It was my flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh when I was seated next to this couple. I was seated on the window seat. I was holidng my copy of Great Expectations. I was tired so I was not able to read during the flight. I just slept through it.

When I woke up, the lady next to me asked me how am I enjoying the book. I said the book is nice I was hoping to finish it during this trip going to Singapore. I was tired, I wasn’t able to read. She saw that I have just few pages left with my bookmark. She told me I nned a new book to read. I said I already do. I showed them a copy of Franny and Zooey.

The lady was delighted upon seeing the book. She said she loved it. The husband then interrupted, "tell him the story of your two cats". It happens that she had two cats she named Franny and Zooey based on the characters in the book. She describes that I will be shifting from a very British book into a very American one. I said it would be OK. I just finished reading a Murakami before Dickens. She thought I was studying Literature. Haha. It was a fun experience. It is always nice to talk to nice people on the airplane. I think I have more bad memories on airplanes than good.

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I finished the book. It was like reading a play. Two chapters, one titled, Franny then the other Zooey. There’s like only five setting: a train platform, the diner, the bathroom in the glass house, the living room, then a split of the two other bedrooms where the siblings had the final phone conversation. It was a short read and there was a lot of "damn" and "goddamn" in the dialogues. It was tackling something philosophical or religious. Pretty much a better read than these YA stuff going around these days. I don’t hate it nor like it but I was glad I was able to read it.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Alan Rickman

Wow, I guess 69 is the new 27 now. Bowie died last week. This morning I was listening to some Bowie on my phone. I am not really a big fan; I just know some of his songs. Not to mention, I learned from an MTV trivia before about his heterochromia, which I know I have written here before. I don’t know but the condition just amazes me. 
Today’s news about Alan Rickman is just wow. Not Doge wow but just awe. Also from cancer, and cancer, has been a topic of more conversations with my friend Angel in the past weeks. Alan Rickman to me is one of those character actors through the years that you know on movies but mostly on minor roles but strong ones. Like Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Nobody can ever forget Hans Gruber. To the millennials, he will forever be Severus Snape.


Monday, January 11, 2016

2015 in the Books

So I relocated to Singapore February this year. I figured that the thirty minute commute time in the morning and at night would be very well be utilized in reading books. Back home, the commute time is more than one hour and it involves me driving. I had a lot of books pending back home, a lot of books. I brought two books here and I finished one. The other, "Veronika Decides to die", needs to wait a little longer. We’ve been to a lot of book fairs the past months so more books. I have also given books as gifts. Some are already in Germany with Kat. It is hard not to buy books. I originally installed the Carousel app on my smartphone just to buy books. And so far, I got A Walk to Remember, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Great Expectations, The Alchemist, Two Donna Tartt books and The Mysterious Benedict Society collection bought through it. Like SG$70 spent on books through the app. On book sales, I think I spent $70 each on three occasions. With several trips on book stores, I bought books as gifts too. I think books are easy as gifts. I am so lucky there are people around me who read. To my niece, I may be the boring uncle. I always give books and less on toys.

 
NLB Book Sale: This was $2 for each title

I was looking really hard for this book

A lot of Coelho
 
This was from Kat when she was looking for book I suggested her to read.

Here is a list of the books I finished reading:
Donna Tartt: The Goldfinch
Donna Tartt: The Secret History
Haruki Murakami:
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Charles Dickens: Great Expectations
Paolo Coelho: The Alchemist
Wendelin Van Draanen: Flipped
I was going to make reviews on the books, but I don’t have time.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Kaju Barfi

Wiki says it literally means cashew nuts Indian sweets. An Indian officemate brought it and offer it to me to try. It looks like our own pastillas or mazapan but more flat and it has a silver foil on one side. I asked him if it needs to be removed but it is part of the whole thing to be eaten. He has eaten that thing all his life but nothing bad happened. I ate the thing and it tasted good. It felt weird eating metal but ok, I guess.