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3 Nov 2014

Where To For Lunch?

Two guys in the lift:

A: So, where do you want to go for lunch?

B: You already asked before and I said I'm happy to go to the usual place. Obviously, you want to go elsewhere

A: Umm.. I was thinking we'll go to that place near DJs. You know, that place underneath Myer, no sorry, DJs... the food-court. What do you think?

B: Okay, sure. So, do you mean the food-court underneath DJs?

I couldn't decide which of the two was the smarter one. "Case of blind leading the blind?" I wondered as I wandered off in the opposite direction. Whatever I decide about lunch this afternoon, it certainly won't be at the food-court underneath DJs. Or the one at Myers. Just in case.

2 Nov 2014

My Top 10 Books

There was a book challenge going around, on Facebook. You list your 10 favourite books and nominate friends who you wanted to take up the challenge too. When I first heard of it, I desperately wanted someone to pick me. Unfortunately, it fizzled out. Maybe those in my friends' list just didn't do it because it came back on. Earlier today, a friend nominated me to list my top 10 books.

I didn't think it would be hard to choose 10 books. I was right, it wasn't hard to pick 10. The hard part was picking ONLY 10. There are so many books I love. There are different kinds of love I have, for books. So, how was I to choose?

I love some books so much that I could read them over and over again. I also love some books immensely but could never read them again. I love some books so much that I can't put them down while I read them. I may read them again but they don't leave a deep imprint in my mind. I've even gone through phases where I just love the author and read anything they wrote.

This was the list I came up with, in the end.

1) Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
2) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
3) The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
4) Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
5) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
6) A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
7) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins 
8) Harry Potter - J K Rowling
9) If You Could See Me Now - Cecelia Ahern
10) The Old Man and The Sea - Ernest Hemingway

With the exception of the last book, I have read these books more than once. They have each left an impression on me and I could easily read them all again. Maybe I could replace #10 with The Devil Wears Prada, as one that I would read again.

The Old Man and The Sea is an amazing piece of writing but it was heart-wrenching. I knew it would have a sad ending but it wasn't the kind I expected. It was like Hemingway didn't just pierce through the heart but decided to twist the knife as it went in. For just a story about a man who broke his dry spell of fishing with a big catch, it was quite an unputdownable narrative. I couldn't read it again.

I asked the husband if he'd like to list his top 10. He didn't. Then he went through my list and said, "Well, at least we have this in common. Your top 10 list is my top 10 too, except that they are your favourite and I hate them all".

Well said, husband, well said. Which couch would you like to sleep on, tonight?