I am in heaven!

Hello dear reader,

In case you thought you are reading a posthumous post, fear not, I have not died and then possessed someone to write about it (if I did it would be pretty cool though). Haha ok so why I am just bubbling over with excitement is because I discovered this new fantastic author called Jeremy Robinson.

This is how is happened. First I picked up this brand new book displayed at the "New Arrivals" section of the Tampines library, called "Project Nemesis". It has an incredibly cheesy B-grade cover showing some Godzilla-like creature rearing on its two feet and stomping something. Not the typical book I'd pick up in a library. However I was in a rush (as usual) and just needed to grab some promising-looking book to read after I finish with Sophie Kinsella's latest book "My not so perfect life". So yes, I was looking for a change of style and pace, maybe something a little more action-packed and hard-hitting. I had NO idea what I was landing myself into. Cos these spur-of-the-moment picks are very hit and miss, usually they end up being draggy, not very engaging, and I return them after reading a few chapters. However, this book, oh wow. I don't know where to begin. It's simply cracking, fast-paced, almost non-stop action and suspense from the get-go. His action sequences are long, elaborate and one-after-another. Reading it feels a little bit like watching "Train to Busan", where the heart-thumping action never ends. He has such incredible imagination on endless ways to throw his characters into more and more hot soup, and coming up with mind-boggling, ingenious ways to get them out. I just say when I read it on my daily commute on the train, my eyes are glued to the pages and I have this lips-parted, holding -my-breath look of incredulity the whole time. Not a very glam look, I know. But then again, most people on the train are too busy being glued to their own screens or sleeping to notice.

So anyways, I realised the depth of my addiction this author when I realised yesterday after I got into my husband's car (he often gives me a lift home), then I left my book in the office. I felt like rearing up my head in fury and screaming like those monsters he writes about. The feeling of loss and withdrawal I felt, knowing that I would not have his juicy book on the train in my morning commute the next day, felt worse than caffeine withdrawal. That was when I knew I am in deep. Then last night, as I was at the playground with my kids and hubby (yes we are odd parents who bring our kids downstairs after dinner for a runaround before bed), I decided to bring along my Hp and google this author, just to see what other people are saying about his rip-roaring writing style.

I couldn't believe my eyes when the first thing I see is a list of images of the books he published. As I scrolled left, I couldn't help chuckling to myself, that he had written not one, but quite a few books. There's more!!! And then I clicked on some other links and discovered that this author had actually written a jaw-dropping sixty over novels and novellas!!! He is so prolific! I feel like a kid who got way more than he expected for Christmas, or a poor kid who just entered a candy store and told he can grab as much as he wants. Even better than striking lottery I think. I've discovered another Robin Cook-like author who is even more prolific than Robin cook! Only instead of medical thrillers, he writes sci-fi Monster action thrillers.

Ok so since I don't have my beloved book with me his morning, I decided to use it so blog about it. Not a bad waste of time after all, is it? If you love Jeremy's Robinson too, give me a shout!:)

Michael Crichton - Renaissance Man

I am always on the hunt for new authors and good books. Recently I found a new author called Neal Shusterman who wrote a pretty well-reviewed young adult dystopian trilogy (actually maybe a quarlogy since he has four books in the series) starting with the book "Unwind" and it was pretty good and it introduced new concepts of what a horrible future might hold, but the characters were not memorable Nor outstanding enough, compared to The Hunger Games or Harry Potter or even Lord of the Rings.

Next I should logically have gone on to borrow the next book in the series called "Unwholly" but as it was mostly borrowed out, I hunted through the shelves for my favourite authors and found a new book I had not read from a tried and tested good author -Michael Crichton, called Congo. I must say the title didn't really attract me Nor appeal to me and I would have definitely picked another title if available, but alas I had read all the other Michae Crichton books on the shelf - Micro, State of Play, Disclosure - so I just grabbed it. I mean, a story about some violent evolved gorilla in the Congo rainforest in Africa, it just could not be more unrelatable to a hectic working mom in the city state of Singapore.

However, that is where the hands of a master changes everything. The book was so well-researched and introduced a far-off, alien world in such a layman, accessible and interesting manner, with a sense of grandeur and not even much trying (the subject matter is grand and mysterious enough) on the back of tight, polished writing and a fascinating plot, that you just get easily transposed into the world without much effort (the resistance was picking up the title in the first place) and find your mind being expanded, made to think of science and biology and geography and tribes and cannibalism and early exploration and jungle expeditions, alongside a whopping good story. The action and introduction of new material never stops, and I wonder how he finds out all these new information - if he has been in the Congo rainforest himself, made a trek, climbed a volcano, interacted with gorillas. I also loved the exchanges between the gorilla and the trainer, and understanding how intelligent they can be.

So, suffice to say I am duly impressed by Michael Crichton as a writer and a scientist and geographer and anthropologist and just - all round renaissance man! He makes me feel that this is another genre of writing I could go into - which is something like Lisa Genova - Writers who introduce you to a topic that is not as well understood but immensely relevant to modern day living. Another writer who achieves that is Robin Cook, another one of my favourites because he introduces medical dilemmas, ethical problems associated with medicine and the practice of it, and also the world of doctors and the inner workings of hositals and morgues and police investigations, that is also not as accessible to the common man but also endlessly fascinating. I love reading! And I hope to contribute to this expanding body of work too, in my own way. Perhaps a story on Singapore government and scientific dystopia? Hahaha. Could make for a fun writing assignment.

Left Neglected

I just finished my last Lisa Genova book (sob sob) and I feel such a sense of loss! Why did she only write four books? But I’m also happy cos it was yet another good book that makes me reflect upon life, and I should be grateful that at least she didn’t stop after her first book which was awesome, but continued to write other thoughtful, deeply engaging books. Yes keep the momentum going!

Ok so this book is called Left Neglected. There are 3 key things I really love about it:

- Firstly, I love how her main character is this high-achiever, ultra competitive, multi-tasking mum. Every minute of her life to be purposeful, adrenaline-filled and stressful. She has a senior position in a consulting firm with an insane workload over different time zones, very high expectations of her job and she has to keep all the balls up in the air all the time. She’s also the mom to 3 young kids (one of whom is a baby) and married to another competitive high-achieving dad. So let’s just call her a very high – performing individual. I read about her life with a mixture of horror and fascination. I love how Lisa Genova just draws us in with her characters. Even though their lives in American towns are quite different from my life in the tropical urban jungle that is Singapore, she writes well enough to paint a really realistic picture of her life, and it’s interesting. It’s like living vicariously through another person.

- Secondly, I love how this person has an accident which causes her to lose quite a bit of her body and mental functioning, such that she cannot work anymore and has to struggle to do even the simplest of tasks. Initially she is horrified that she cannot work and cannot imagine how her company will cope without her (yes that’s me whenever I go on my maternity leave) but eventually she realises life and work goes on without her (gulp). And then she starts doing things she never had the time to do, like paint and spend time with her kids and snowboard. And after doing it a while, living a slow life for a while, she realises that 1) she isn’t recovering fully and can’t go back to her former lifestyle even if she wanted to and 2) there is an alternative lifestyle that is kinder, more sustainable for the family and kids, and though she earns a lot less, she gains a lot more time. Ok I know not everyone can find such a dream job in such a dream place (she ended up living in a ski resort up in the mountains!), and make enough to sustain a decent lifestyle, but I couldn’t help wondering – for high-performing individuals, how many even bother or have the time or courage to contemplate the alternative? It seems unthinkable that someone who could earn more would choose to earn less. And add to the problem how many such people are not even aware of the alternatives out there, taking up whatever opportunity presented itself when it was time to get a job, throw in the inertia of moving once a person is in a place where he or she is valued (similar to her) and you have a recipe for someone stuck in the rat race. There are also so few role models of people who chose the less high achiever route intentionally and the benefits they enjoyed. SO I love this book for making me even think about such a possibility.

- The last thing I like about it is her description of her mother. I think she managed to describe a mother that every daughter would love – supportive, helpful, there for you when you need her most, non-judgemental and even encouraging. That’s the kind of mom whom no child will feel a barrier to talking to, and also wanting to be close to. I aspire to be to my kids when they grow up! 😊

Still Alice Review

I recently re-read Still Alice, after having read Still Alice, inside the O’Briens and Love, Anthony. I guess I just really love Lisa Genova. But I realised I can’t read her books one after another, as they are too heavy, or rather, they leave me feeling too heavy-hearted and pensive. So I Guess that’s why I’m reading a book written by Ellen DeGeneres now, called Seriously… I’m Kidding. Haha. Before that I interspersed her books with a Jack Reacher novel.
However, I have been raving to anyone whom I have more than a 5-minute conversation with, about what a wonderful author Lisa Genova is, and the themes her books explore. After they find out what she writes about, I am often replied with a grimace and an eeugh (that’s my Husband), or if people don’t know me well enough, a polite “oh, I usually don’t like sad stories”. Recently, when I insisted on telling my hubby the storyline of Love, Anthony, he balked and complained “No! No more of those sad stories! I hate hearing about them and i don’t understand why you like reading them!”.

I’m a little puzzled not everyone shares my love of realistic portrayals of everyday life that are immensely thought-provoking. Ok, so it’s not everyday life, as the characters always have some life-threatening or life-altering disease or condition, but they give me such deep, realistic glimpses into people and families who have to deal with such things, which I can relate to as I may have to deal with some form of that in the future either in myself or in my loved ones, that I find it a treasure trove of knowledge and is the best kind of fiction – that shines a mirror on your lives, on our inner lives, our thoughts, that throws us into scenarios both probable and improbable and makes us think what might be our reactions to it (another movie that causes such reflections between me and my husband is Train to Busan, but more of that in another post). And even more importantly, I love it that what she deals with is our mortality. What happens when our days are numbered, when the basic functioning a of life we take for granted are suddenly in decline, how do we cope, how should we cope, what is left? It is like a fictional story of characters having to live with the End in Mind, Steven Covey’s second habit, one which I love, except Lisa Genova explores this with a whole cast of characters, with different personalities, different levels of religiosity (however none of her lead characters were truly religious), types of spouses, kids, careers etc. So, as I said, a treasure trove of information, lives lived before, though they are fiction.

So, what struck me a lot this second time round, reading Still Alice, is the response of her husband John. I found myself seeing him in a kinder light at times, noticing how he is really trying to help her by running with her daily though he hates running, and attending lots of conferences on Alzheimer’s and trying to help her find a cure. However I think he never accepted or came to terms with the fact that his wife had Alzheimer’s and she would eventually lose her mind through a decline. He could not stomach seeing her eat medicines, could not face seeing her struggle with simple things. In the end, he chose to move to New York to take up a Chairman role which was a big coup for his career, even though it meant being far from Alice (I take it that she stayed in Boston with her daughters and son), and one really has to wonder, was that the right choice? If it were me, what would I do?

The book explores questions indirectly like is it worth spending your life and effort taking care of someone who may be more and more incapable of knowing you, and appreciating your efforts. Raise the stakes higher, would you sacrifice a part of your career to do that? The conclusion of the book suggests that yes, it is worth it, because you love the person, and even when someone seems to have deteriorated a lot, there are moments when they recognise you, are clear-headed, and they definitely continue to have feelings and can think at some level. However all that aside, what if that person is in a coma?

Ok, heavy questions (I’m feeling a bit breathless here contemplating all these big questions) and I can only offer a story as an answer. From my own experience.

My grandma had a stroke when I was very young, and she was taken care of by my uncle and his wife for very Long. She was mostly taken care of by his wife, as my uncle was working a lot, and perhaps partly as my grandma was not her mother but my uncle’s, my aunt eventually lost her mind a little from all the work of taking care of an invalid, and my grandma was moved to a home for the elderly. However when my mum saw more and more bruises on my grandma, she couldn’t bear it and took my grandma into our home. My grandma lived more ten years in our home before she passed on, and in that period of time, my parents simply hired a maid and juggled all the duties of working, taking care of me and my grandma as best as they could. They ensured she ate well, was taken care of and spoke to her occasionally (very loudly so she could hear). At one time, she even smeared her faeces all over the wall and my dad had to clean it up. All through it, my parents never complained. I think the answer for me would probably also be pretty straightforward. Family is family. And we have to take care of our family. And like this little placard that hangs on the wall just before we leave the house, “Hope makes things bright, faith makes things possible, love makes things easy.”

Run. Hide. Seek.

I recently finished a trilogy YA dystopian series set in Singapore (what more could I ask for) called Run Hide Seek. And to cap it all off, it's written by a 14 year-old Singaporean girl!!! I was strangely excited and floored and inspired when I found that out. I remember laughing out loud to myself on the train when I read this on my phone and whooping and shaking my head at the same time :) If she can do it, what more us adults? We really have no excuse now.

She is called Gabby Tye and her story on how she wrote this book is quite inspiring. She got this book together when her Mom made her to write 300 words a day instead of watching all this "online nonsense" and before she knew it, she had enough to make a book! Ok so her Mom is a publisher/editor, and is hence in the business, so you could argue unfair advantage, privileged background, but still - it's pretty something huh? She actually made something out of it, when many other privileged kids probably don't. Having written many stories since my childhood days and not having finished many long ones, I can tell you what she did takes a lot of perseverance, and her imagination was quite brilliant too.

Though the thick pages and more widely-spaced words take getting some used to, her story sucks you in right away as its always fast-paced, and written like an action movie. When I read it, the similarities with some other popular books/movies immediately struck me, but they are not complete rip-offs, more like a blend of Hunger Games meets World War Z meets Maze Runner meets Divergent. Yes, ALL my favourite movies/books. What’s not to like?!!🙂. When I was in a scriptwriting course this was an exercise my teacher taught us to generate fun, creative plot lines and ideas when we are dry – randomly pick two movie titles from a bag and try to come up with a logline blending them together. Eg I may pick Jurassic Park and Matrix. So a logline may be – the story of how a person is the chosen one to go back in time and save the dinosaurs, but he wakes up and it’s all a dream or an alternate reality. Ok I’m totally making that up but I’m sure that was how movies like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which my husband assures me actually works as a movie) were born.

Anyway back to the series. I’m quite fascinated by how she managed to weave in elements and plot points from all these stories, threw in some ideas of her own, and make a refreshing, whole new compelling kick-ass story out of it. Well done, girl *enthusiastic clapping* !!! Isn’t this what Korean dramas are doing? Pushing the boundaries of what is a genre and mixing genres (eg supernatural romance mystery thriller) to get a whole new product. And she ALSO landed a China book publishing deal where her books will be translated and sold in China, and go on to inspire a lot more young writers to be sure.
I am personally motivated from this to get my butt into gear (despite being a working Mom with 3 kids and church responsibilities) and to just do what she did – make myself write a certain number of words a day. Anyway all the writing books tell me to. They say the key to being a successful writer is discipline and habit, to write write write. And the stories will come. In a way, this blog helps me do that.

Ok what I liked about her book:

– how the heroine has something special about her (although I did think her personality could have been made more distinctive, where she could be sullen and protective like Katniss, or heck-care like Mary in a Christopher Pike book, or geeky and underdog like many other heroes in his book too)

– how there is a love triangle (ah, reminded me of how crushes feel!)

– her relationship with her Mom (I think she tried to be politically correct in her book, as her Mom is editor and she’d only 14!)

– the state of the future world and why it happened (themes of bad farming, environmental destruction, genetic manipulation, resonates with what I think is wrong in this world today and is what is refreshing about her book, that she brings in these themes in a layman and understandable, non-intimidating and non-yawn inducing way)

– how the action never stops, reminding me of Christopher Pike and Suzanne Collins’ writing.
That is what I am weak in – writing action. I may like reading action-packed books and have watched endless action movies, but ask me to write an action sequence and my brain just shuts down,. And if I’m forced to, like in my scriptwriting class, the writing comes out clunky and amateurish, and frankly, painful to read. I’m surprised my scriptwriting teacher (who came from Hollywood by the way – thank you Media Academy!) didn’t even comment on it. He wrote a lot of other comments though. Maybe he was laughing so hard he decided to spare me the pain. But hey, got to have the growth mindset right? With hard work and grit and laser-like focus, and the right training/teacher, I should be able to master it. If I ever need to, that is.
So, to the mattresses! Which means, let’s get cracking!

Seven Habits Reread

Hello hello,

Wow I'm really on a roll here... my fourth post in a month!  I guess writing is like jogging or exercising - it's really hard to do it the first time after a long time... the conditions almost all have to be right, or you are really suffering by not doing it (e.g. feeling breathless, out-of-shape, unhealthy, or in this particular instance, feeling like I had this incredibly wonderful experience that I have to get out on paper, or computer - namely my trip to the Botanic Gardens, or I will burst).  But after you do it the first time, the second time is not that bad, and then it gets progressively easier and easier, and the wheezing is less obvious and you start to enjoy it more and more.  So voila, here I am!

I recently picked up Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People from my bookshelf and popped it in my handbag to be part of my must-have reading material for my long commute.  Why am I reading this rather outdated self-help book now instead of the latest management book or chic lit (yes I am quite the fan) or crime fiction (also guilty)?  I guess it's a combination of running out of books from the library to read (I must explain I am a compulsive train reader, as in, if I don't have something to read on the train, I get mental withdrawal symptoms, which are as bad as my caffeine withdrawal symptoms) and the fact that I had recently moved into a new role at work and found myself grappling (in middle age) once again with an ill-defined role, time management issues (I'm double hatting on an already heavy portfolio) and having to win the respect and trust of two new colleagues who have been transferred to the same new unit as me, one of whom is older than me (a first!) and having to work out communication styles, working preferences and so on.  So I was perhaps feeling in need of a refresher course on how to manage myself effectively. 

However, I was not disappointed.  In fact, I must say I was quite blown away by the book, which I did not expect as I had attended a course on this years ago and thought I had it all down pat.  Hey, I can even recite 6 out of the 7 habits (the one that eluded me was Synergise - and I haven't gotten to that part of the book and still don't know what that means) and can explain pretty clearly what each is about.  However, I realised the book holds so much more detail and examples from the author which the trainer simply could not go into in that two-day course.  I found in the book timeless principles and truths that opened my eyes (and I've read quite a few management and self-help books in my time), though it was written years ago!  Ok, I must say partly it is because I am in need of these truths at my particular life stage, which makes the "aha" moments even more heartfelt and far-reaching for me.  But I believe they are relevant for everyone, at any life stage.  You just can't go wrong with the habits, especially the first three.  I'll blog about each habit in turn, and how I have applied it to my life and made a difference. 

Memorable Quotes from this Good Book

Hello!

I have just finished another book - this is a rare find. It is one of those books that I picked out of the shelf amidst the sheer ming-boggling no of books in the library based on its interesting title "The Secret Intensity Of Everyday Life" by William Nicholson, who incidentally did the screenplay for Gladiatory and also wrote the script for the movie "Shadowlands", on the life of my favourite author, CS Lewis.

Ok, so I will set about jotting down some of his really memorable lines (hope this is not plagiarism, but they are so unique, they stand out so much amidst all that text and a not-so-very-engaging plot like jewels blazing in their colour that I have to write them down).

_____________________

"Okay, if I'm being honest, I think Friends is a work of genius. I mean, I really do. The best dialogue on television today.:

"Wow."

"I know that makes me what the children call a saddo."

"A saddo? No, not at all. It makes me want to know what you see that I don't."

"Okay" He rises to the challenge. "That episode Alice is watching, the lasagne one. Rachel breaks up with her Italian boyfriend... She dumps him because Phoebe tells her he's come on to her."

"In the massage parlour."

"Right. And Phoebe feels bad. And Rachel comes out with this classic Friends line. She says "It's better that I know, but I liked it better before it was better." Isn't that perfect?"

________________

Phoebe is going to give birth to triplets.

The doctor in the delivery room keeps talking abuot Fonzie. Who's Fonzie? Joey seems to be going into labour too. Then Chandler does a dance and Monica says "Don't do the dance!"

Alan punches the air.

"I love it! You saw that? She never even turned round. She just knew he'd do the dance. These people just know each other so well."

_______________________

Why do I want this so much if it's all a delusion? Why does the act of forming lines in my head excite me so much that my bowels melt and I have to run to the lavatory unbuckling my belt as I go? Don't tell me that's not the real thing.

Movies!!!

Hi!!! Firstly, what am I doing watching movies when I should be busy working on the upcoming Energy Challenge Fair which has lots to do and settle, I don't know. Maybe it's precisely that stress which is driving me to relieve some of it in the big screen! And relieve it it did!!

I watched Robin Hood on a whim last Wed, and it turned out to be a totally enjoyable, immersive experience! I totally enjoyed this movie from start to finish. I am not a fan of Russell Crowe, but I am now! Although he is not what I would call good-looking at all, he just seems to command so much on-screen presence, and portray that battle-weary, understated, yet morally good, fight-for-justice hero that you find yourself totally sympathising with and rooting for him. I found the take on the storyline refreshing, and the historical background on a king taxing the poor too much, peasant revolt and the war between England and France lends a nice realistic feel to the whole movie, not to mention the stunning natural scenery at that time (do we still have such beautiful, idyllic places on earth?), a detailed, beautiful portrayal of the simplicity of life back then, and not to mention the strong characters and understated chemistry between Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchette. I love it! The love that blossoms between a guarded, strong and curt, no-nonsense lady and an strong, capable, righteous and responsible fighter.

I thought the kings were poorly cast though, as was Mark Strong, who didn't look very much like the bad guy. I was thinking he could easily be a good guy! But the French princess was perfect. She couldn't look more nubile and wilful. Besides Marion, the story also had other cute characters like the bee-keeping friar, and wonderful lines. All in all, I liked the entire movie as it had something to offer of everything. Some social justice elements, a budding romance, a weak king, a traitor, a tense battle etc etc.

I also rewatched gladiator last night (stayed up until 130am!) after I watched robin hood, and it's seriously awesome! I loved the wounded, intense look that Russell Crowe has. Makes you completely root for him as a believeable hero, and he has the build and the walk of a soldier, and wields the sword very convincingly too.

Let's see, my favourite scenes in Robin Hood: His interactions with Marion are all pretty funny and tense, the tension and dialogue between the two keeps you sitting at the edge of your seats wondering how it will pan out.

The funny scene when he sees his friends the next morning, and he tells them he is Marion's husband, and one guy who is drinking soup looks up in awe and goes, "Well played!"

Gladiator: The scene right after the battle, when he enters the tent still in his battle armour, dirty, grimy, and goes to wash his hands of blood in the basin. He casts a look at the celebrations ongoing. You get the feeling of a great battle won, the victory is sure, and the hero, the leader, when you expect him to be euphoric, lapping up the attention, is however looking weary, relaxed, glad it is all over, and yet kinda alone. You just feel for him!

The scene when after the war, he walks around the soldiers' tents on the outside, and goes up to stroke the nose of a horse. Again, the leader who is out walking the fields, taking care of business, instead of schnoozing and enjoying himself with the higher-uppers.

Books I've Read

Hello!

I have finished reading 2 books - The Time Travellor's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis. These were books I borrowed recently from the Tampines Library. My verdict is: Time Travellor's Wife was a pointless book. I shouldn't have wasted my time on it, except for the fact that a well-respected friend of mine highly recommended it, together with his wife. Both said they cried at the end, and this friend of mine was a guy's guy. In the end, the book was so repetitive, the plot was so thin, and the characters so unmemorable and so myopically into each other and noone else (yuck), that I do not empathise at all with the characters and wonder how this book ever made it to the bestseller's list. The only redeeming point was that the 2 characters ended up waiting for each other their whole lives, even though one died. So, it's kinda touching, although as i said, I can't see what they see in each other. Both characters are very one-dimensional. THe only trait I can tell is their inloved-ness in each other. Bleah...

The other book, Till We Have Faces, is so much more promising. The plot is a Greek classical story, and has elements of the Arthurian age - sword fights, wars, sacrifices of pretty women to the gods to alleviate bad weather, falling in love with someone who is noble and true and honest, but the really interesting twist to this whole story is that it explores the fate of someone who is an ugly girl. In fact, the whole story is narrated from the point of view of this girl, who is sister to 2 really pretty sisters. It is an interesting situation, and how she is treated by all the men, even her own father. And how her love for her sister eventually drives her to do a crazy thing, and how she buried all these hurts and tormented doubts deep in her heart, but learnt a lot of skills and eventually became a ruler of the country, and how she is loveless all her life. It is bittersweet.

Mandy Moore!

Hello!

Have just watched a lovely Mandy Moore movie - Because I Said So. It is now one of my FAVOURITE MOVIES, because she looks so fresh and beautiful in every scene with her in it. She is utterly loveable in that movie, and yes, I can totally identify with the overprotective-mother and daughter-struggling-to-retain-some-control-over-her-life storyline. She is also so talented as a singer! I love her songs "Only Hope" and "Extraordinary". And I recall her movie "A Walk to Remember" brought tears to my eyes.. so I'm gonna go back and watch it when I get the chance. She is like, Winona Ryder or, Lindsey Lohan but better. She is like another Taylor Swift - a wholesome Hollywood image with some nice singalong songs :)

Story Inspired by the Freshman

This is a storyline inspired by a line in the song "The Freshman" by Verve Pipe years ago. It says "we always talk of our lack in relationships."

Scene in Pulau Ubin. A girl and a guy sitting under a tree, just before the beach, in the day, looking out at sea, very relaxed and talking. They are very good friends. They joke about their lack in relationships. But nothing serious. They are now parting and saying goodbye to each other, going to join/back to the real world. They know they connected on a very real and deep level all along, in their earlier, teenage years, or through some incident, but now they have to part. But what they had would never be erased. I could almost feel the salty sea breeze, see their dangling brown legs, their hands cupping a steel mug of coffee or hot beverage, hair tousled, slightly tangled cos they are washed without conditioner, skin slightly salty and sticky, but both are healthy, relaxed, happy and intensely focused on the conversation, which has taken on a deeply personal and philosophical tone, the stuff of sharing dreams, things deep within their beings. They feel they have committed some part of themselves with each other, shared this deep part of themselves, and found a liking for each other, an easy companionship at the deepest level. It is like, both know they identify with each other in that particular area, that noone else in the world has yet been able to. Both have a carefree, noble feeling, of uprightness, of non-materialism, of easily looking for and valuing things deeper than beneath the surface, indeed, almost scoffing at things on the surface. They know the moment they open their mouths, there is instant if not almost immediate understanding, and support, and empathy. Both are brave souls. Both dare to be different.

But now they know their honeymoon period is over. Whatever it is, they must now say goodbye and enter the harsh and less than perfect world. And years later, when they meet again, they will both be successful, have the veneer of success on them, but when they glance at each other, there is that instant connection again, a tug recalling them to where they were before, and a return to reality, the core them that never changes, except God who changes people. I don’t know, would this make for a good story?

Story!

This is my first attempt at typing out one of my old stories, written when I was in Sec 2. Yes, I was quite a prolific writer then, often writing about my friends, who brought me so much joy. Some of the characters are based on real friends, some are from my imagination, combined with characters plucked from books I've read. I must apologise for the Western names and setting. Back then, very few Singaporean fiction authors were around (maybe Catherine Lim and Adrian Tan? But I hadn't read any of their books yet), and my staple consisted of mostly American and British authors. So anyway, I shall be uploading parts of the story as I go along. I am hoping to transfer all of my pages into soft copy, and hopefully continue the story I left off in JC 1 and give it a proper ending :)

CHAPTER ONE

Sharon Loh gulped as she stepped into the classroom. They were receiving their Year 1 examination results that day and she already felt like she wanted to go to the toilet.

In the classroom, everyone was as rowdy as could be. Boys shouted and laughed, girls giggled and chattered excitedly. She couldn’t believe it.

“Hi!”Julie Ong, her best friend, suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “You look ghastly!”

“Of course, I almost couldn’t sleep last night worrying about my results,” Sharon said. “Why isn’t everybody nervous?”

Julie laughed at the expression on her face. “Not everyone’s like you, Ms Brainy. Now you’ve got to hear about the party. It sounds like a fireball of fun.”

After the long, hard examinations, her class was organizing a party to enjoy themselves and they were planning to make it a school celebration. Almost the whole Junior College was invited and they had even asked the school principal for permission to occupy the school compound on the day of the party. As far as Sharon knew, the principal had granted it. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to think about the party until the results were out.

Just then, Mrs Ho strode into the classroom with a huge stack of papers. Sharon gulped again.

“Good morning, Mrs Ho,” droned the class, standing up.

“Good morning, please be seated,” Mrs Ho took out a hanky to wipe her face. She was a plump lady with a bulbous nose and a warm smile, well-liked by her students. The students sat down with much scraping of chairs.

“As you know, you will be receiving your papers back today, and I will be pleased to tell you that though none in this class has got outstanding results, all of you passed and did well on the average.”

That was not what Sharon wanted to hear. A chatter rose among the students, but soon subsided when Mrs Ho started giving out the papers.

Sharon clasped her hands together and hoped. She was so nervous she could scarcely breathe.

When Julie received her paper, she shut her eyes for a second, then looked. She stared at her paper for a long time. Before Sharon could ask Julie her grades, she received hers and her heart nearly flipped. She took a long time calming herself before looking at the results.

She had an A for everything except History and Art. She heaved a sigh of relief. The weeks of studying had at least paid off. But Sharon knew she was not going to get away from a nagging session. Sharon’s parents had high expectations of her when it came to her studies.

Meanwhile, Julie was still staring at her paper. Sharon had the sudden thought that Julie had somehow scored all A’s and felt a poisonous pang of jealousy. Julie suddenly swirled around. You couldn’t imagine a wider grin.

“I can’t believe it! I scored a B for my English essay! I’m in heaven!” She flung her arms around Sharon in an impulsive hug. In fact, she looked so gleeful that Sharon could've kicked herself for being so small-minded.

Picking up Sharon’s paper, Julie gasped. “Eight As! Wow! That’s super! Congrats!” She pumped her hand enthusiastically. “Come on! Let’s celebrate!”

Gary Teo, who sat behind Sharon, giggled. He was a boy who was definitely on the round side. Giggling was one of his favourite pastimes , usually at nothing. He got along quite well with Sharon and Julie.

“Stop jumping around, you look ridiculous,” he said between giggles.

“Oh yeah, that’s because you’re jealous you can’t do that without causing a mini-earthquake,” Julie teased, still grinning her head off.

“Stupid Charlie,” Gary said quite pompously, wagging her finger at her. He called anybody whom he didn’t like Charlie. That was another of his little habits, which as usual, made no sense.

Sharon smiled at their teasings. They never got tired of it and could never spend a day without snapping a saucy remark at each other. Sharon usually joined them and ended up laughing her head off, but today… She sighed again, glancing at the offending grade sheet. All because she had been best student last year. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have cared how may A’s she got. One of life’s ironies.

The bell rang and Mrs Ho dismissed the class. There was an air of gaiety everywhere. Students packed their books, talking with one another. Chairs were pushed in and someone cleaned the blackboard, bringing out clouds of dust.

“Lunch?” Sharon asked listlessly, dawdling over her books.

“Of course, I feel like a Botak Jone’s Supreme Pepperoni Deluxe, chicken wings, cheesy nachos, not to mention a root beer float!” Julie always developed an usual appetite when she was happy. “How about you?”

“I’m not hungry, why don’t you go first?”

“No problem, call me later ok?” Julie bounced out. Sharon smiled at her friend. She always seems so easily happy. While me, I’ve got so much and yet I’m not satisfied. I’m sick.

Feeling all the more miserable, Sharon stepped into the corridor and just started walking. I feel like I could use a Mickey Mouse right now, she thought.

“Sharon!” Someone called her from behind. She turned.It wasn’t Mickey Mouse. It was someone better. It was Winston Chia.