Lovin' the library even more

Today I went to the Central Public library with the little one to check out the children's library called 'My Tree House'. It is apparently the world's first 'green library' for kids, as it was designed and made environmental friendly, plus, it houses children's books which focuses on green themes. 

From the awesome entrance, you'd think we were going to an amusement park or playground. I really love the enchanted forest theme.

 Inside the library, at the middle, is a tree house structure made of recycled materials, the leaves are from recycled plastic water bottles. 

Then they have little chairs and tables.  The whole floor is carpeted so you can comfortably sit anywhere to read books. It is really great for kids, so great that it can become a playground indeed. I just don't know how much 'playing' can be tolerated there. There were just a few people today, I suppose because it's a weekday, so it was quiet. My little bunny of course ran around, tried to climb everything and made little shrieks of happiness but no worries, she was not noisy.

I also finally got her a library card. I just recently learned that children below 7 years old can actually get one and for Singaporeans and permanent residents, it is for free. Hooray! :)

On a side note, writing down this blog entry made me re-read the one I wrote about the first time I went here. That was almost 7 years ago. Back then, I had so much time to read books. Now, well, besides children's books, I can only read magazines and short, non-novel books. Wow, my life has really changed a lot since then! But then again, I look at my daughter and how she loves books and the library and I tell myself, that is definitely from Mummy's genes ;)

Let's save the bookstores, please!

First it was Border's bookstore in Wheelock last year, then their Parkway Parade branch followed shortly after.

This month, it's Page One in Vivocity.

What is happening to the bookstores in Singapore?!? Why are they closing down?!?
Is this the effect of the digitalization of books?
This is really sad. I love hard copy books, the smell of the paper, the ink...

Call me old school but for me, you can never replace a hardcopy book by digital.

A paper book is timeless and full of memories and stories which are beyond the words it has in print.
A beautiful handwritten dedication tells you of a loving father sharing to his son the wisdom of life as he moves away to the city and start to stand on his own two feet.
A coffee stain on the pages tells you the story of a lady who sits by the corner of a cafe, immersed in the love story of the prince and a damsel and secretly hoping that her own prince would walk in the cafe and find her.
Highlighted words tells you of a teacher who patiently and carefully studied the contents, that she may able to share the lesson accurately to her students.
Dog ears on pages tells you of a housewife who keeps a journal of meaningful quotes she's found..

I really hope this trend is not a reflection of what's happening to the bookstores in other countries too. I hope this not the end of paper books.*Big sigh*

Have a Little Faith

This is the first book that I have finished reading for the year 2011 and I can't be anymore happy to know that this is the perfect read for me to start this year. This book spoke to me straight to the heart..and soul.

It is amazing how I saw myself in Mitch Albom's thoughts. Like him, I had been skeptical with religion and the "holy" people who run it. The more I saw the world, the more I had learned about different kinds of faith and I made this "being open minded" an excuse to turn cold on my own faith. My intention to become neutral has made me forget about that strong, burning passion of feelings that connect me to God.

Have a Little Faith is not at all about preaching religion, nor does it even impose for you to believe in God. We all have our differences in beliefs. In this book based on his real life experiences, Mitch Albom shows us that faith isn't what separates us, rather, it is actually what brings us back together.

*****

Just a little note:

There are two types of book cover available for this book, the American release and the UK release. Between the two, I would recommend the American release with the brown cover (as the image above). You'll know why when you read the Author's note. I'm not sure why they even released a different cover in the first place.

I miss being a bookworm

I have not been as actively reading as I used to be during my single (and lonely) days. But I think I better revive my reading activities because one of the things I have observed about myself lately is that I now often find myself at a lost for words - both written and verbal. Worse, I think I am starting to develop an attention deficit disorder in reading. I find that it's now not easy for me to just give my full attention to something I'm reading. I get easily distracted and impatient that most of the time I end up skipping some paragraphs when reading short articles and then when reading books, I often have to re-read a paragraph or two before it fully sinks in. This is not a good trend at all!

Hence, I should really have to revive my literary reading life.

So to spark some inspiration, let me start then by enumerating a couple of books (oh my gosh, only a couple!?!) I had managed to read over the past few months:

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

A bestseller and highly recommended by a girl friend, I got very curious and finally got myself a copy. I enjoyed reading this book. It was written with such a witty and candid and yet profound way. I think free spirited women will be able to relate to this and contrary to feedback I read that this book is cultish, it does not at all impose what the author's views on religion and philosophy at all. In fact, I liked how the way Elizabeth Gilbert showed her openness to exploring different ways of showing faith. Furthermore, contrary to another feedback I read saying that the book was just about the author's whinings, I liked how she actually honestly wrote her thoughts and feelings in this book like she was telling it to a very close friend and so as a reader, I felt that connection with her as she talked about her real life experiences.

As like what usually happens next to bestseller books, it has been made into a movie already which is already showing the US but which will only be shown in Singapore in a couple of months, I believe, starring, who else of course, but Julia Roberts. Personally I think the producers should have picked a more low profile actress for the role but well, I'll save my thoughts on this on a movie review perhaps.

Anyhow, this book's sequel, Committed, is also already available. I think I'd like to read that too.

The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho

I got the book when I saw it one time I went to the bookstore. I didn't even know that Paulo Coelho was launching this new book. Anyhow, I got the time to finally read this while on a two week honeymoon in Mauritius.

I would have to say that this book made me see a new side of Paulo Coelho's writing. Although it has his usual deep and calm tone, it also has the feel of a mystery thriller book. It uses realism and dwells on modern day scenarios, quite different from the usually mystical writing style of the author.

I am not really sure why I couldn't put down the book and I just continued to read on and on. Maybe I was curious about the life of movies and showbusiness or maybe I just wanted to know how the story ends. I can't really say that I loved it since I found the story too tragic and hope wrecking. It was not your usual good wins, evil loses because Paulo Coelho left it up to the reader to decide who are the bad guys and who are the good guys and if death is the end or the start.

I Love Reader's Digest

Last week, I decided to subscribe to Reader's Digest and I received my first copy in the mail just a few days after (how efficient!) plus the free jewelry gift set which did not look as I have expected (not as nice as it was in the photo, hehe).

I grew up reading this magazine because we lived with my aunt who subscribed to it. I found Reader's Digest easy to read and very interesting. Even at a young age I already enjoyed reading inspirational stories. As I grew older, I noticed this fascination did not fade, and even got stronger, hence my love for motivational reads like that of Paulo Coelho's, Nicholas Sparks', Mitch Albom's and the likes.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a motivational seminar and it triggered something in me that I had put to sleep for a few months so I could go on with a more "normal" and "cool" life. It made me remember what I really want to do with my life, that which would really make me happy. I want to do inspirational things thru writing or thru flowers, or thru whatever I can. It awakened back the introvert in me, oh no, not the introvert who writes technology programs and resolve software problems, but the one who thinks of how to touch person's lives.

Then last week I started reading a book which was a collection of stories from Reader's Digest. I learned there how Reader's Digest was founded by husband and wife, William Roy DeWitt Wallace and Lila Acheson, because they wanted to publish a collection of inspirational stories. This made me fall in love more with this magazine and made me go online that night and purchase that subscription. When I got my first copy, I have been reading it page by page. Even the ads put on the effort to make a little senseful article and not just those commercialized ads we see now usually. I even learned that Reader's Digest doesn't publish tobacco and liquor ads! I really, really heart them! A magazine with principles. My hubby-to-be loved the magazine too.

I wish I could do something like what William and Lila did in Reader's Digest. I want to do something that could make a difference to the world too, something that would give hope and inspiration. You know what I'm thinking of right now? I'm thinking how can I actually make it to Reader's Digest staff...I would really love to be a writer/researcher/reporter for this magazine!

Good morning, world

This is one of those days I got up earlier than usual in the morning. I can think of two reasons why I did: one good and the other bad..I am not sure which one though. My defensive side is even telling me that this good might also be bad. Can I therefore conclude that the reason for this blabbering is not good?

I am not really a morning person, so I can say many nonsense things early in the morning, obviously.

I thought about my beloved Paulo Coelho and how I miss his words so I looked through his books lined up on my bookshelf. I got the feeling of consolation and calmness, thank goodness.

I picked up Eleven Minutes and noticed I put a tiny piece of paper to bookmark a page. There must be something written there that I liked. I opened the page to read it and yes, indeed, something beautifully written:

***

"If I were to tell someone about my life today, I could do it in a way that would make them think me a brave, happy, independent woman. Rubbish: I am not even allowed to mention the only word that is more important than the eleven minutes -- love.

All my life, I thought of love as some kind of voluntary enslavement. Well, that's a lie: freedom only exists when love is present. The person who gives himself or herself wholly, the person who feels freest, is the person who loves most wholeheartedly.

And the person who loves wholeheartedly, feels free.

That is why, regardless of what I might experience, do or learn, nothing makes sense. I hope this time passes quickly, so that I can resume my search for myself -- in the form of a man who understands me and does not make me suffer.

But what am I saying? In love, no one can harm anyone else; we are each of us responsible for our own feelings and cannot blame someone else for what we feel.

It hurt when I lost each of the various men I fell in love with. Now, though, I am convinced that no one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone.

That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it."

****

Thank you, God for beautiful words and mornings.

Lovin' the Library again

I went to the Central National Library of Singapore today with my housemate, Mimi. Would you believe that only after 2 years and 3 months in Singapore have I finally gone there? Yes, it is weird coming from a person who describes herself as "can live in a bookstore or library". Well, it was one of the first things I had planned to do during my first month in Singapore but after finding out from their website about the membership fees I backed out. What can say but back then I was still adjusting with the Singapore cost of living and I was still doing my automatic mental conversion of Singapore dollar to Philippine peso which made everything very, very expensive in my perspective back then. Anyways, as they say, better late than never. The important thing is I have found another "home".

The National Library of Singapore is the best library I've been to so far. Like a usual library, it houses many books. I was overwhelmed to see the number of fiction books they have and I didn't know which one to borrow. For a big library, it doesn't work to just look into the books one by one, it is more advisable to know which title you were looking for or the author to atleast have a starting point. They have a centralized database to search for books in all the public libraries around Singapore. I was ecstatic when I found James Patterson's "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" and I immediately borrowed it together with another book "French Love Stories" (I borrowed this because it was a collection of short stories in French and with English translation so I thought it would help me with my French.) Then I tried to find "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. I saw the film and I just loved it so I told myself I should read the book. I found a book but...it was in the juvenile section, which of course meant that the book was a simplified version of the original (big letters per page and not much pages). I read it anyhow, so right there in the children's section, slumped on the floor with my back on the wall, for an hour I flipped thru the pages. It was fun being there, as the children looked so cute slumped on the floor lined up beside me, reading their books too.

The big difference about the National Library of Singapore from other libraries I've been too though, is that it has high technology system of borrowing and returning books. The Singapore National ID serves as the library card and there are self serviced computers there where you could check out the books to borrow them. The books can also be returned at any library within the country thru a drop box. It is very convenient indeed.

Yet, I was a bit sad about this high technology convenience because it was the thought of having a manual library card that excited me. I find great joy since I was a child to write my name on the book card I would like to borrow and see my library card becoming full of stamps from the different books I borrowed. I had a target back then to borrow and read all of the library books in my gradeschool(we had a small library in school so it was feasible and I think I did able to borrow all those in the fairytale section). I found it also nice to see in the book card who were the last people who borrowed that same book. In highschool, much as I've wanted to target the same things, it wasn't feasible anymore, as my highschool has a big library, and the books were more diverse and mature, which of course, included then a lot which did not suit my fancy. In my University days, my library book borrowing became more limited and I only borrowed reference books and not anymore books for leisure reading. After Uni, I shifted to buying books I fancy and so, the bookstores replaced the library in my life. Fast forward to today, I had been buying books and only now did I realize how I should not have forgotten the library. Borrowing books can save me a lot of money and it will save a lot of paper! Especially now that I don't have the space to house my growing collection of books. Although I am not buying books just because I wanted to read them, I also have this dream of someday having my own library/bookstore, perhaps when I retire and find my place in this world, it shall happen. For now, I am just happy that I rediscovered the library. :)

***

You can read more about the National Library of Singapore here: http://www.nlb.gov.sg/

Picture courtesy of housemate Mimi.

Wishin Everyday is Harris Book Sale

Have you ever walked in to a place that made you smile from ear to ear?

It happened to me tonight.

Eypooh sent us this email ad about a book sale at Suntec City. So off I went there after office. But first we had some yummy Japanese food for dinner at the Food Republic in Suntec city, which, by the way, I love the new layout and design. Talk about designing a food court like a library, how cool is that? ;) I think it was a sign that something even better was about to happen...

Please excuse my crappy pics from my 2MP phone camera, better than nothing, right? :)

True enough, when we went inside the Harris book sale, I felt like I was in heaven. It was something I did not expect really because I thought they would just have books that were not so quality, you know, the usual surplus, unpopular books. But no, it was like walking into a bookstore with popular books in half the price! It was crazy! There were all the Paulo Coehlo books, Judith McNaught books, Nicholas Sparks, Nora Roberts, Agatha Christie, etc, etc.

But of course I had to restrain myself from the impulse of hoarding everything I could. I had to remind myself that I live on a limited budget (especially these days when I am foreseeing a budget deficit in the next couple of months). So after much contemplation and convincing of myself that it was not yet the end of the world if I could not buy all the books I wanted there, I managed to finally select the four books that fit my $30 budget.

I wish all book sale are like Harris book sale. I could live there, hehe.

Judith, I Love

Reading another Judith McNaught book again was like catching up with an old friend. After years and years of no communication, you astonishingly find yourself feeling the familiarity with each other. Although in a relatively another way as principles and perceptions have changed over the years, but the warmth to the heart is still there.

I first got acquainted with Judith McNaught's romance novels way back in my senior highschool days. I started out with "Perfect" and true enough, I found it the perfect book to start my admiration for Judith McNaught's writing. As an Asian girl brought up in a relatively conservative way, I was amazed to find a Western story with a conservative character of the leading lady in a modern setting, so it was easy for me to get the relation even if I was only in my teens and the character was in her late 20's. So I read another book after it, wondering if it would be as good as the first one I've read. And true enough, it was. Paradise captured my heart just like Perfect, and this time, it sparked something else: it awakened up the corporate girl in me. There was a scene there where I even really cried because I felt so much the strong emotion of the leading lady when she was trying to prove herself to her father. After reading this book, I realized I would like to someday become a CEO of my own company, and back then as an idealistic innocent girl, I believed that I could be both a power corporate woman and a power wife+mom, of course now I know better. The third book I read was Tender Triumph, which also had a strong story but not as relating to me as the first two I've read, but I still liked it.

All those three books had a setting of the 20th century so I thought Judith McNaught's novels were about modern day love stories. And so I was quite surprised when I started to read Whitney, My Love last week. The setting was 19th century. I was hoping to read another modern day love story, so I could relate, so I was hesitant at first to read it since I might not be able to relate. But amazingly, after finishing the book, I realized I still was able to relate to it because Judith McNaught's signature characters having strong personalities were still there. I don't know if I would've liked it if I read this book first 10 years ago though, because I might have had difficulty reading it back then, because there were a lot of British and French words and terminologies that were used, those which I wouldn't have understood quite clearly have I not been exposed to the European culture, having worked with British and French people. Anyway, I was also surprised to learn that Whitney, My Love was Judith McNaught's first romance novel and this gave way to the bloom of her career. This book also brought about her other novels, characters of which were introduced from this novel. I also learned that the book I read was the republished version, with some modification to be able to be like a prologue to the other novels that stemmed from it. So that explainedto me why there was a bit of awkwardness on how it went in the last couple of chapters. I think the original version would have be better. But anyhow, the story was great, how it was written was great. It was like a mature fairytale due to its touch on sensuality.

It worked quite well indeed, for I felt that the ice that has covered the heart, is now beginning to thaw...

******

~Thanks to Ays for lending me the book

~Thanks to Sam's Letters to Jennifer for a good preparatory reading, hehe :)

~Thanks to Simonsays.com for the pictures above

The book(s) that I thought I could not finish

It was #1 in my Christmas wish list last year. I've been wanting to buy this for yeeeears now. Finally, I bought it at the start of January this year as a new year's gift to myself.

My Story by Dave Pelzer is actually a compilation of his three books:
~A Child Called 'It', which relates his life from age 4 to 12 ;
~The Lost Boy, which relates his life from age 12 to 18; and
~A Man Named Dave, which relates his life from 18 onwards

I first saw the book A Child Called 'It' almost four years ago in a bookstore while waiting, I think, to meet he-who-must-not-be-named-exBF. Usually, when a book catches my attention, I would browse through the first few pages to know if it was interesting enough to buy. But pages and pages went by, and I still didn't stop reading. For tens of minutes I stood there, reading the book chapter after chapter, my eyes welling up with tears. I almost finished reading the book but I had to go so I decided that I would just finish the rest next time I return to the bookstore (hehe, yea, I was being a cheapskate =P). But many things-that-should-be-forgotten happened, so I never got to go back to the bookstore to finish it. But I think in between, when I did finally decide to buy it, I found it was already out of stock and only the 2nd book, 'The Lost Boy', was available. I didn't want to read the second book without finishing the first one. Then I came to Singapore and fastforward to last year, I saw in Border's bookstore that My Story, the compilation of Dave Pelzer's three books, was available in a good price compared to buying the books individually.

After buying it last January, it sat on my bookshelf, waiting for the right time to be read. Then last month, I decided to start reading it on my bus ride from work going home. However, just on the third page of Chapter 1, I already had to stop reading and close the book. I felt a lump build up in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes, I knew I would not be able to restrain myself from crying inside the bus if I continued further. Then days after, I attempted to continue reading it again, this time in a coffee shop. But oh no, just like in the bus, I knew I would cry if I continued to read on. So I have concluded I would never be able to finish reading this book in a public place, so it went back to sit in my bookshelf. Last week though, I craved to read a new book and thought that before I buy a new book, I should finish my back log books. So this weekend that passed, I spent most of the time reading it. By this (Monday) morning 1am, I have finished the trilogy.

Dave Pelzer's My Story is very, very moving, heart-wrenching, if I may say so. Reading it is not something that made me shed just a tear or two. I cried a real crying, intermittently, for minutes, uncontrollable tears fell one after another. After finishing the third part, A Man Named Dave, I felt like I grew up with Dave and was there with him to witness how he fought to survive as an innocent but very brave child, how he struggled to exist as a normal adolescent and undo the poisoned things that were inculcated in his mind, and how he live now to tell his story as a kind-hearted and kind-souled adult, receiving love that he truly deserved. It is an honour for me to be given the privilege to get to know Dave Pelzer thru his book, as indeed he is one of the miracles that God sends to remind us that life is still beautiful to be given up.

Flying with Sam's Letters to Jennifer

I usually bring a book to read whenever I travel, especially when I'm travelling alone (which is often the case). However, last week I forgot to bring a book for my flight from Singapore to Manila and back. So I went to the bookstore at the airport terminal to find an affordable book. I saw a stack of books on sale, good. I searched and the book Sam's Letter to Jennifer caught my interest. After reading some of the quoted commentaries that endorses the book, it sounded ok although I was not sure if I would like to read another fiction novel having a cheesy, sentimental love story at that moment. I've also not read any James Patterson book before so I was not sure if it would be a good read. I decided to buy it, anyway, since it was just S$7, not much money to waste if ever. Besides, I thought it would serve as a preparation to start reading Judith McNaught novels again (paging Ays and chilis: pang-ilan ako sa nakapila? :).
I was not able to read it on the Singapore-Manila flight as I've expected (since I was taking Cebu Pacific Air flight and it leaves at midnight) because I slept during the 3 hour flight.
I was able to read it intermittently during my one week stay in my homeland. I was able to finally finish reading it on the flight back from Manila to Singapore. I was amazed to realize that my initial impression about the book was not close to what it really was about and that this book is like a found treasure in a stack of books on bargain. It may not be as comprehensive and as vivid as a Judith McNaught novel or as emotionally intense as a Nicholas Spark novel but it has that subtle, light touch to the mind and heart. Just what I perfectly needed at that time*. Now, I am interested to find and read his other book, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, which is the more popular book of James Patterson and the predecessor.

*Flying with Sam's Letters to Jennifer was like flying like the flowing river, only this time the tears fell before I took the plane...

But as always, it has just to be dealt with.

***
Photo from http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/sams_letters_jennifer1.asp

Flying like the flowing river

On my flight back from Manila to Singapore I started to read the book Like the Flowing River, a collection of thoughts and reflections of my favorite author, Paulo Coelho (my friends' birthday gift to me last November). A few pages after, I felt the tears flow down on my cheeks (like a flowing river). It has never happened to me before that I cried during a flight and I tried to be discreet about it as I didn't want to embarrass myself from the ladies sitting beside me. Good thing the cabin lights were off but with only my reading light on from among the seats in my row, it made it even more dramatic. And indeed, tears trying to be held back is like water being held in a dam which once it breaks, the intensity of the water's cascading flow will be too powerful to stop.

What has made me cry?

Could it be I was so moved by Paulo Coelho's beautiful thoughts on life?

Or could it be because of something else?

Perhaps those last words I heard at the airport?

I think yes and yes. I've read many of Paulo Coelho's novels, all of them fiction but all I adored. But reading real life thoughts and reflections of a person written in impromptu, has an extraordinary impact on me. I was deeply moved at how He sees life in a beautiful way, full of hope, love and peace. It made me ask myself

Why do people lose this drive in life?

Why do people tie themselves up with the ghosts of their past?

Why not make the most of what you have?

Why those last heavy words need to be said?

We know the answers to these questions but I just wish that we do not let ourselves be spun by the web of sadness. No matter how things may seem frustrating, there is always a way to see things in the light. We say we err because we are just human but it does not end there. While it is innate for us to err, it is also innate for us to love. To love is to appreciate, to love is to see beauty and so I hope that we do not forget that this is the gift of life. Our ability to change is more powerful that we can ever imagine, let us not underestimate our ability to become the person that God wants us to be.

Two new books!

I love books and to be given a book as a gift is a great joy to me. It shows how much a person knows me. But the more interesting thing is the choice of book, that will truly indicate how fond that person is of me.

I got two new books last week. They are from two very important people in my life and I am deeply touched because their gifts show that they know me very well.



My new book #1
Common Phrases And Where They Come From
by Myron Korach in collaboration with John Mordock
First Lyons Press paperback edition, 2002


This was given to me by my Tito* Michael. On my way out from office last Tuesday night, our office secretary called me to hand me a package. Tito Michael sent me this book all the way from Riverside, California. What a treat!

He is really so thoughtful. He has seen my fascination with the idioms I heard him say during my vacation in their home last month. It's really interesting because the idioms he were using were those I don't usually read from books, perhaps they were more of conversational idioms native to California(?). So I found it really interesting, I've always been fascinated with the English language. Anyway, the book is about where the common phrases or idioms we use came from. It's really fun to read, it is not something like a text book that is trying to teach you history. It is written in an interesting way that'll make you just turn the pages.



My new book #2

Sunshine

by Robin McKinley

Published by The Penguin Group 2004

This book was a gift to me by my very good friend Mhean as a makeup gift. We recently had a misunderstanding but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it paved way for us to prove that we are true friends to each other. Isn't it a treasure to know how much you are valued as a friend?

The book was about vampires, and I am really moved about Mhean's choice of book. It makes me smile to realize she knows me that much, that she's one of the few who knows my fascination about vampires. The even more amazing thing is how specifically she knows what type of vampire story I like, because the book is about a vampire fairytale! ;-)

I have two new books. They may just be two of the thousands printed of their same kind but my two new books have been made unique and priceless by two very dear people in my life.

***********
*Tito - Tagalog for Uncle

It's a good Good Friday

This Good Friday is one of my best Good Fridays ever.

Together with Her highest mushroomness (who is now starting to have some chlorophyll due to my insistent prodding, hihihi =P ), we went for Bisita Iglesia (Church visitation). Our initial plan was to do the stations of the cross in 4 churches but decided at the last minute to limit to just 3. First stop was St. Mary of the Angels where we did the first 4 stations of the cross and I toured Her mushroomness around the church compound. Then we had lunch at a nearby hawker where I had Hokkien Mee (I am really getting hooked into the local noodle dishes here) and Her mushroomness, Fried Rice and tofu. Then next church was at Novena Church, but to our surprise there was some kind of program when we got there which we thought was a mass but there shouldn't be mass celebrations on Good Friday so perhaps it was Psalm reading. So we decided to just make a quick prayer and make the rest of the stations of the cross at our last church. So we proceeded to Good Shepherd Church where we read the rest of the remaining 10 stations of the cross.

Then we met with Miswa's housemate and the three of us marched our way to the Book warehouse sale (gooooooo bookworms!). When we got there, it was indeed a warehouse full of books! But well, since it was a sale, you have to have the patience to look for good books, they wouldn't put popular books on sale, right? But Miswa's housemate was so good in catching the best books, she got a Pablo Neruda book! So I said to myself I'd do my best to find these type of good books. Along the way, I saw so many books that didn't seem interesting and whose authors I didn't know. I was wondering how sad it would be if I were one of those writers and I'd see my books on sale and people still won't buy them, that would be so heartbreaking. =(

After a couple of hours and S$30 damage in my pocket, I got me 4 books which are far from a Pablo Neruda book, hihihi. But nevertheless, I am so happy to get them. ;o)

Care Bears Official Handbook by Scholastic - I was so ecstatic when I saw this! I'm a Care Bear fan, you know. And here's more, this handbook had a poster of the Care Bears inside! Wowee! It was a treat indeed! Come do the Care Bears countdown, 5 4 3 2 1.. =P

Orlando Bloom , The Biography by AC Parfitt - Haha, what can I say? I'm just a girl like any other girl. Yes, this guy is one good looking man and is one of the reasons I can watch the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy over and over again (*sigh*). This is really something else, because the only biography book I have before this was St. Therese's, and I was able to restrain from buying Johnny Depp's biography book too which was on sale. But my gosh, just look at the book's cover and you'll know there's more handsomeness inside! Her mushroomness was not able to find another copy and so the whole night she was devising a way to steal my beloved Orlando Bloom book from me, hehehe.( I told you Miswa you can buy it from me for S$100, tee hee =P )

Love by Toni Morrison
- When I got this book, I thought I already had a paperback copy of this and I just felt like buying a hard bound one so I had second thoughts at first in buying it. But after giving more thought I realized the book I had was not the same book, as the book I already had was Love by Leo Buscaglia. This is a popular book and I've been seeing it in bookstores back home and I knew it was expensive, being hard bound and all and Toni Morrison is Toni Morrison. So yey! I got a good buy.

Pope John Paul II, Memory & Identity, Personal Reflections by Weidenfield and Nicholson - Of course, in my quest for my spiritual growth, inspiration comes from holy people I admire like Pope John Paul II. I admit that I don't know much about him though, I was still indifferent when he visited the Philippines for the World Youth Day back when I was in high school but now I wished I was there to see him. I hope to get to know him more from reading this book, just like how I got to know and love St. Therese of Liseux from reading her autobiography.

So after going to the booksale, we had a sumptous seafood platter for dinner at Fish & Co. in Changi Airport. We had ice cream from Swensen's for dessert and finally called it a day.

How do you talk to your angel?

I love Paulo Coelho's writing. Each of his books never fail to give me this extraordinary feeling of serenity, and yet the irony to that is I feel this calm with such a great impact in different ways. I can't even explain why it seems that the timing of me reading a particular book, the book's theme coincides in some way with my life.Therefore I can't help but see his books as God's way of consoling me.

Among his books though, at this point The Valkyries would be the book which won the majority of my heart now. Having read four of Paulo Coelho's books before this, I did expect that the book would have the same serene, calming tone common to all of Mr. Coelho's writing but other than that I was not expecting it will surpass the impact that Eleven Minutes has given me.

I started reading The Valkyries on the 27th of January this year. Just from reading the title page, it has already captured my heart as promised as it was about the quest in finding your angel. I read on, without expectations. At page 40 though, I could not help my heart to jolt a little and melt with a smile as I look up, up and away. It was an extraordinary moment with my usual drink at my usual place -- fruit punch at Starbucks Raffles City. I didn't finish the book in one sitting, moreso, it even took me quite some time to read it as the succeeding days and weeks I had a lot of things going on during those times and so like my usual, I brought the book with me always in my bag wherever I went, with the intention of reading thru it bit by bit whenever I got the chance -- while taking a long bus or train ride or while waiting for a friend I was meeting up. So I read on bit by bit every now and then but it was when I was around half way thru the book that I got a long lag from reading it. It was around the second week of February that I think my fellow bookworm friend made a comment about the book. She asked me if I had finished reading it and when I said I have not, she told me to get back to her and tell her my thoughts about it after I finish reading it. It seemed like she didn't like how the book concluded.

So after then I started to have expectations on the book, I expected it would have an ending with an effect of something like that of By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept because we both agreed that we found that book's conclusion too hazy. It made me curious so that motivated me to finish reading it soon. So I continued to bring the book with me everday, wherever I went, like it was a necessity like my wallet that I could not leave behind when I went out, in the hope that I could read thru it during my free time. I wonder though why I have not devoted a time to actually put in my schedule to finish reading it at one weekend or something. Maybe because all the while my thoughts were then already in playback.

Anyway, as I've said earlier, The Valkyries was about the quest in finding and seeing your angel. Halfway thru the book, it has already mentioned that angels already talk to us thru different channels, like they manifest themselves thru other people who we encounter in our life. It says that sometimes, you have already seen and talked to your angel but you were just not aware of it because we are too absorbed into our own concept of angels that we expect to find our angel in an image of a beautiful being with white wings. But if you were given a choice, would you like to be aware that you'd be seeing your angel and talk to him if you knew who your angel was? As for me, I was undecided. The thought of seeing my angel gave me both the longing and fear, as I don't know how I should be when I get face to face with my angel in a place where people are watching your every move. I didn't know how to talk to my angel, I didn't know how to do channeling.

Today, I had an hour and a half free to spend the afternoon while waiting for an important appointment. I decided to spend it at Pacific Coffee, in The Hive at Raffles Place. I decided that I'd read the book to pass the time. As I sip my brewed coffee and flip thru the pages, after an hour and a half, I finished reading thru it, until the Epilogue and I was already impressed at that point and have concluded that I liked the book, including how it concluded. But being me, I read books from cover to cover so I read thru further until the last two pages -- the Author's note where Paulo Coelho confirmed that The Valkyries was taken from his real life encounters with finding his own angel so at 4:30pm on page 212, I have concluded that the book has surpassed all the effects of the other Paulo Coelho books I've read. I held on to it tightly as I could not believe the feeling it has brought me. I actually felt like how Paulo felt when he realized how he could see his angel, I realized my angel was with me as well.

Angels guide and protect us, even if we ignore them, they are just there watching over us, caring ang loving us in their own way. Yet sometimes we ask for more from them, we ask for a miracle just to admit to ourselves that they do exist. But really we don't have to test and wait for our angel to say I wish I could promise more before we believe because angels themselves are already heaven sent. So, need not have to wish more, as there has already been so much love given, that love itself is already the miracle we've been wanting to prove all along, manifested in friendship... and this is something that will be remembered...for lifetime.