Unfinished books

After reading all three books my sis gave me for my birthday two months ago (Murakami’s 1Q84 and Birthday Stories, and Pratchett’s Snuff), I decided to continue with Pratchett’s Thief of Time which I had bought many, many, many months ago but never finished. I guess it wasn’t until I read his Tiffany Aching series, which I read a year ago, that I finally understood and appreciated his writing style. After finishing Snuff, I was ready to delve into Pratchett’s other Discworld books. Reading The Thief of Time the second time around was much more enjoyable. After finishing this book, I plan to finish other books I haven’t finished reading. At the top of my head, those are:

o Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Everything (almost finished)
o Elizabeth Kostova’s The Swan Thieves (almost finished)
o Peter Gethers’s Forever Norton (halfway there :P)

Cat Commentary - Tense Stand-off

As you all know, we’ve welcomed the presence of Cookies, Arrow and occasionally, Cream at our house’s outside compound. We also welcome some cats that come and ago. Lately though, we seem to be hosting another cat. She’s white with several black patches on her body (kinda like a cow). My sister has named her Bow, so that there’s Cookies and Cream, Bow and Arrow. I don’t think Arrow would be happy with this arrangement. She, along with Cookies, has been quite hostile towards the newcomer, but nothing that warrants an intervention. They just get a bit aggressive during feeding time and when they think she’s stealing the attention away from them. Sometimes, Cookies and Arrow give me the cold shoulder when they think I’m being too friendly with Bow -__-;; Anyways, I couldn’t help feeling sorry towards Bow, she’s quite scrawny and has a meow that tugs the heart. Unfortunately, she’s clearly the outsider among the outsiders. Her features are so different from Cookies and Arrow, even her fur is course where theirs is soft. Still, I’m hoping that one day, Cookies and Arrow will befriend her. At the moment, they seem to tolerate her presence but aren’t exactly chummy with her. Cream hasn’t been around since Bow appeared which might be a good thing. She’s already fierce enough with Cookies and Arrow (I still miss her though!).
If this scene is already seems crowded enough, it doesn’t seem that it will stop here. I was feeding Cookies the other night and Bow was there as well. I called Arrow but she was nowhere to be seen. While Cookies was eating and Bow was waiting for her turn, a cat came up the stairs. I’ll refer to it as a “he” since it looks like a male. He must belong to one of the neighbours since he had a collar. He was a curious looking cat though. He was brown in colour (I think, it was night after all and the lighting wasn’t great) with some faint stripes along its body. What’s curious about the cat was its big, round head. The cat didn’t look like it has a neck, it looked like the head was attached directly to the body.
Anyway, once he came up the stairs, everybody (me along with Cookies and Bow) froze. It was like a tense stand-off, everyone stared at each other and nobody wanted to make the first move. I literally froze and the cat warily approached me. He wanted to walk pass me, at the same, it seemed like he wanted to approach Bow who was next to me. Maybe they’re friends. He kept inching forward to get past me. Somewhere around this time, Arrow finally came up, the cat dashed away once he had passed me and the tension was broken. I continued to feed Bow and then Arrow. It was a funny situation. Later on, I found out that the cat has been sighted around the house a few times before. It seems like our house is really cat-friendly again :D

Don’t let the putu mayam guy go!

I was minding my way at the office today when my colleague told me the putu mayam guy was outside. I told her, “Thanks, but no thanks.” As I walked further, I saw another colleague of mine walk by, a packet of vadai in her hand. In my mind I was thinking, ‘Hmm, I didn’t know he sells vadai too.’ I then did a u-turn to grab my wallet. On the way down, I asked some of my departmental colleagues if they wanted anything. One of them said yes, then another one said okay and another one said she wouldn't mind having vadai, too. When I went to the reception area, I was told the putu mayam guy had left! Like all things in life, if there is anything you want, don’t dillydally. Just go get it!

My Hectic Birthday

Last Friday was my birthday. Here's what happened:
I woke up with a sense of optimism that today, felt like I was wiser :P I know I’m hitting the big 3-0 and being unmarried, it’s not something to shout about. Yet, I’m not feeling the pressure. Instead I feel defiant today and dare anyone to make any jibe about me still being single at this age. Fortunately for such person, no jibes came my way today. Did the day turn out the way I wanted it to be? Not exactly, I wanted to take leave but still came to work because there were some books that needed to be checked today. It wasn’t a lot, so I was hoping it would be a calm day today. How wrong I was.
The day started well enough but things became markedly busy around 8.30am when I had to check two book proofs that just came in from the printers. Luckily my colleagues helped me out and we managed to finish by lunchtime. I still got to go out for my birthday lunch with my friend. After lunch though, I was becoming antsy because a book of mine that was supposed to be delivered that afternoon hadn’t come in yet. My colleague called the printer a few times and they said the books were on the way. When I retold this tale to my friends later that evening, one of them said, “Never trust the phrase ‘on the way’!”
By 3.30pm, I was pacing up and down. I had to find out what were the procedures if I were to accept the books on behalf of my other colleague whom I knew would go back as soon as the clock struck 4.30pm. He told me how but he also gave me a bunch of obstacles: the books had to be paid for before we could accept them, the warehouse only accepts stock that come in by 4.15pm, and the security guards at the gate would only allow the lorry to come in if they come before 4.30pm. I was exasperated at hearing the many things he uttered. Can’t we have a little leeway? The books that were coming in were urgent because the author has a book launch this Monday at 9.30am. Finally, after consulting a few people I managed to find solutions for all the obstacles mentioned. First of all, its okay to receive books for which the authors have not paid yet as long as you get permission from the head of department (we had that). Secondly, since it seemed likely the book would be delivered after 4.15pm, we asked the printer to deliver the books at the front door; we will receive the books ourselves and keep it inside our department if it was necessary (the plan was to straightaway put the books in my colleague’s car but she had to leave around 5pm). Finally, just in case the guard wouldn’t let the driver in, I messaged the driver; asking them to call me if the guard wouldn’t let them in. I guess if you meet any stumbling block, all you have to do is find a solution and ignore people who easily say no to everything. I understand they can’t always accommodate last minute requests or they’d be saying yes to similar things more frequently, but this is something that happens once in a while. You need to be more flexible people!
Anywho, the books arrived around 4.30ish and the driver told me he went straight to the warehouse. I said don’t go there since it’s probably closed but the driver said he had to since it was raining. So I went to the warehouse to see the situation and surprisingly the warehouse was still open and one of the warehouse guys had already signed the delivery document. So all we had to do now was put all the books in my colleague’s car. She brought it to the back and one of the warehouse guys helped us carry the books into her car. Unfortunately, she couldn’t fit all the books, so I brought my car to the back and put in the remaining books. To add for dramatic effect, we had to do this in the rain which was slowly but surely getting heavier. I thanked the warehouse guys once we were done. When my other colleague told me earlier that the warehouse would close at 4.15pm, he portrayed the warehouse as an inflexible department but it seems like he was wrong. They let the printer drop off the books there eventhough the printer came around 4.30ish and they even helped us load the books into our car. Guess it just shows you shoudn’t judge anyone until you meet them in person no matter what anyone says about them.
Once the book shenanigan was over, I had to rush over to meet my friends for tea. Earlier I had frantically messaged them saying that I might not be able to make it due to work. My friend suggested meeting at a café nearby my house instead of meeting at 1U so that we have more time (I had to leave around 7pm because my family was having a gathering in conjuction with my birthday that evening). I left the office around 5.15pm and reached the café around 5.45pm (I avoided the highway). After all the running around, I could finally put my feet up. It was fun seeing my friends again. We chatted about many things but it was most fun when we reminisced our school days. I thought it would be rushed but we had more than enough time by the time we left around 7.30pm (my house was only 5 minutes away).
When I reached home, the house was full with my nephews and niece, brother and sisters. It felt “festive”. I wasn’t late since my younger sis hadn’t arrive home yet so I had time to unwind first. We had dinner around 8.15pm. My mom cooked all my favourite food: there was spinach fetuccine and eggplant parmesan! :D Kaklong brought dinner rolls. After dinner, my sis brought out my birthday cake. I was a green tea and red bean cake (mmm!) with three candles :P My mom also made chocolate mousse. Everything was delicious. I know everyone went to bed that night feeling extremely full. I know I did. I was extremely contented as well. Tired too. All that running around was exhausting. Things didn’t go exactly the way I would have liked it to on my birthday but I was happy with how it ended. Arigatou, minna! :D

When love is complicated

Some stories need to be told...anime style.
I found that catchline by Animax particularly apt but never would I have thought it would apply to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Last year, Animax broadcasted Romeo X Juliet but I wasn’t drawn to it. I thought it wouldn’t work. Last week however, I stumbled upon an episode of Romeo X Juliet. It seemed interesting. I particularly like the opening song. It was a cover version of “You Raise Me Up” sung by Korean R&B singer Lena Park. I had always liked the Josh Groban version of the song, but somehow Lena’s version reached out to me even more. The gentle arrangement of the song seemed to set the tone of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet.


In the anime, the world they live in is slightly more volatile than the Shakespearan setting. Their story takes place in a floating continent called Neo Verona where pegasuses are a normal sight in the city. Neo Verona was previously ruled by the Capulets but Montague usurped the throne in a bloody coup. Every member of the Capulet clan was killed except for Juliet who, at the time only a toddler, managed to escape with the help of Capulet loyalists. She then had to disguise herself as a boy to avoid being detected by Montague spies. Fourteen years later, we see Juliet as a sword-fighting vigilante who protects Neo Verona’s citizens from the injustices of the Montague regime.
It’s quite different from the Shakespearan setting but the basics are still the same. Montague and Capulet are two clans who hate each other (in this case, for good reason) and the love between Romeo and Juliet is as doomed as ever. And that’s exactly what makes for a captivating story. There’s just something about star-crossed lovers that appeals to the masses, me included. Maybe most of us want to believe that despite all odds and despite all the hate in the world, love will triumph in the end.
The anime started out well but it seemed to lose itself halfway through. There were some inconsistencies with one or two characters and the villain seemed too one-dimensional to me but everything tied nicely in the end. There is a twist towards the second half regarding the Montague/Capulet relationship that would definitely irk Shakespeare purists but this is an adaptation. It’s not supposed to be the same.
As always, with any story I like, the music works itself like magic to bring the story to life. I haven’t heard a good original anime score in a while. It really immerses you in the helplessness felt by the characters as well as their determination to remain hopeful no matter what fate throws at them. This is the closing line from the anime:

Strife, hatred, sorrow, pain...
The one thing that can bring all of those things to an end...
That is love.
The joy of loving someone. That is what you taught us.

Picture courtesy of Riley.

Cat Commentary - The Orange Visitor

Lately, I keep seeing an orange tomcat hanging around the garden. I suspect that Cookies and Arrow are wary of this new visitor as they always seem a little tense whenever he’s around, especially Arrow. I’ve seen on more than one occasion where they would let him eat their food rather than fight for it. Yesterday, when I went out for some late evening stargazing, Cookies came up to me, so I stroked her. I noted how chubby she had become. I then heard a rustle coming from the bushes behind the birdbath. A feline figure streaked past and for a moment I thought it was Arrow. It turned out to be the orange tomcat. Strangely enough, Cookies didn’t seem afraid of him. She stared at him and then followed him. They seem to be friends now.
This morning, when I wanted to feed Cookies and Arrow, I saw the orange tomcat again. He kept staring at me like how he usually does. As Cookies and Arrow munched on their breakfast, I beckoned him to come over but he still just stared at me.I left some extra food and sure enough when I went back in the kitchen, he ate the food. I decided to name him Leon :P

Steve Jobs - the biography

I wanted to read this book when I first saw it but I wondered whether I was just caught up in the whole Apple-wave since Steve Jobs's passing. So I withheld from buying it. As the days passed, I kept seeing the book and couldn't keep my curiosity at bay. I wanted to know about Steve Jobs even though I've never bought an Apple product in my life. There is only so much about him that you can read online. Though I had finally bought the book, I wondered if it would take me a while to read it. I'm not a fan of non-fiction books and have never really read a biography from start to finish. Howeever, once I started reading it, it was "unputdownable". It was probably the combination of an iconic person and a masterful writer. The early days when Steve Jobs founded Apple read like a movie but what stayed with me was his perfectionism. He was dedicated towards making great products, not great profit. Profit is what follows a great product. Its refreshing to read about a CEO who cares about the product. Most companies are run with profit as the goal and the companies themselves are almost always run by successful salesmen. It's always about the sales target. There are countless of sales meeting, sales conference and more sales-related activities throughout the year. Hardly enough time is spent on improving the quality of the product itself. I find it frustrating dealing with people who accept mediocrity and people's refusal to challenge the status quo. Anyways, this book was a real eye opener, not just to the person that Steve Jobs was but also to how great companies are born. Jobs is far from perfect but through his vision and perfectionism, he makes it happen and I think that's something everyone can learn from.