I just don’t have a habit of watching TV.

Instead, I can’t get enough of reading. I read everywhere. I read while eating. I read while riding the train. I read while on the toilet. I read while waiting for my turn at the doc’s or at any place that requires a queue. I read while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green (try not to do this often).

I have no problem eating out alone, as long as I have reading material with me. If I don’t have any, I will go and buy one. A magazine or a book or even newspapers, anything if fine as long as I have reading material to keep me occupied.

I read books. I read magazines. I read newspapers (much less now since I’ve switched to e-news). I read stuff off the net. I read brochures and catalogues (when there’s nothing else to read). I read anything I can get my hands on.

When people are chilling in front of the TV, I’ve probably got my head stuck in a book or glued to the computer screen, reading some article/news piece or even just light stuff on forums.

My shelves are overflowing with books. I have books in boxes under my bed, in my cupboards, everywhere around the house. And a new pile has formed on the floor at the side of my bed because I have no space left on my shelves to keep them. I plan to turn a room in my future house into a library with throw pillows everywhere so I can go in and have some me-time in peace and lose myself in a good book.

When I was based at KLCC, I had to resist from stepping into Kinokuniya everyday because each time I went in, I would get a book. It was burning a hole in my pocket! So I allowed myself to go in once a week. Even then, I’d buy a few books, which probably made up for the rest of the days when I didn’t go in.

When I was in Buffalo, I rarely missed my weekly trip to Barnes & Noble. I could spend hours there and of course, I’d come out with a bunch of books. When I returned to Msia, I shipped 12 boxes back, mostly containing books (one box got lost in transit ).

When I was younger, I remember saving up my allowance and emptying my piggy bank to buy each new book in this series of books by Carolyn Keene. I would eagerly anticipate the next book to be released and rushed to buy it when it did.

When I was even younger, I remember devouring Enid Blyton’s books – The Enchanted Wood (my favorite!), Mr. Meddle, the twins adventures at St. Clare’s, Mallory Towers, Famous Five, The Five Find-Outers, and all the other short stories by Enid Blyton. I remember reading the books over and over again, never tiring of them.

People are very surprised, some shocked even, when I tell them I don’t watch TV.

But there’s nothing more exciting than anticipating the next page of a well-written piece of reading material

It flows very well and it makes you keep wanting to read more.

But it’s a very sad story

I thought it was quite inspiring and one of the cool things it mentioned was Alice. I’ve downloaded it but haven’t checked it out yet but if it helps make sense of the programming mumbo jumbo I learnt in college, I will readily bow down to it

Some of the points/quotes I appreciated and took away from the book (most of these are direct quotes from the book) :

• Brick walls are there for a reason. They’re not there to keep us out but are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.
• Automobiles are there to get you from point A to point B. They are utilitarian devices, not expressions of social status.
• It’s not a real vacation if you’re reading email or calling in for messages.
• When you’re frustrated with people, when they’ve made you angry, it just may be because you haven’t given them enough time. But in the end, people will show you their good side. Almost everybody has a good side. Just keep waiting. It will come out. *This needs to be worked on. I currently do not have this type of patience! Plus I don’t have that much faith in humanity.*
• A good apology is like an antibiotic; a bad apology is like rubbing salt in the wound.
• Honesty is not only morally right, it’s also efficient.
• No job is beneath you.
• Sometimes, all you have to do is ask… to get what you want.
• A parent’s job is to encourage their kids to develop a joy for life and a great urge to follow their OWN dreams… not the parent’s dreams.

If some of these don’t make sense, get the book and read it.

Some may find it rather depressing (it was, after all, written by a man who had terminal cancer) but as mentioned, I found it inspiring.

I’m speechless.

It’s one thing for adults to debate over this topic till the cows come home. But it’s an entirely different thing altogether when it’s targeted towards children.

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you lived and lived well.

If I could live up to even 50% of this quote, I’d be thankful. Making a difference, that’s my ultimate goal.

Thanks to Eclipse, which I started reading 2 days ago and finished today.

Eclipse is actually Book 3 of this series, if you can call it that. Apprently, there’s supposed to be a Book 4 coming out next.

The main cast are :

Edward the Vampire
Jacob the Werewolf
Bella the Mortal

It’s your typical love triangle but with a twist (the Vampire and Werewolf part) i.e. Edward loves Bella, Jacob loves Bella, Bella loves both Edward and Jacob but she’s gotta choose either one coz obviously the gal can’t have both! Duh!

Oh, and throw in the fact that there’s a deranged vampire out to kill Bella, to avenge her lover’s death back in Book 1. And also the fact that the Vampires and Werewolves have been enemies from the beginnings of time (and they can’t stand the smell of each other!) but they now have to work together to defeat this deranged vampire due to their love for Bella.

Quite dramatic, I tell you… and also very soppy (yucks, so geli-fying when you read their mushy exchanges) but then when you remember that Edward is a Vampire who’s more that 100 years old, it sorta compensates for it. Quite cool, actually… hehe…

Well, I couldn’t put Book 3 down after getting into 1/3 of it. Same thing happened with Books 1 & 2. Something about the story just makes me wanna read and read till I get to the end of the book. It’s even more fascinating than Harry Potter 7!! I mean, it’s a love story only ma, with some action towards the end (i.e. killing and ripping apart bodies and all). Maybe I’m secretly waiting for Edward or Jacob to kill Bella in a fit of passion. Haha!!

Anyway, I’m still trying to figure out WHY Bella is so special that both the Vampire and Werewolf want her so much. Aside from the fact that Edward (who’s special talent is to read minds) cannot penetrate her mind, like how he can others.

Ah well… some gals have all the luck, eh? And Vampires and Werewolves, no less… hehe…

PS : I love the book covers. Beautiful yet chilling at the same time.

Final book’s out on July 21st…!!!!!

Tried to pre-order the US version of the book at Kino but apparently, they have closed the pre-orders back in May! I didn’t know that they even closed pre-orders but then again, it makes sense coz they only get a specific number of books in each shipment.

So I can’t get my book yet

BUT we are going to watching the movie next Wed!! Weeeeeeee!! Normally, I avoid going to movies the moment they are released… couldn’t be bothered to rush with the crowd and all. But am making an exception for this one. Hehe… Hopefully it’ll live up to expectations and not be crappy like the 2nd one.