not our most glamorous moments but who cares…

YOUTH TRIUMPHS ALL!!!!!

today, i want to recommend two books i read some time ago.

the first is called incredibly close, extremely loud by johnathan safran foer.

it’s a book i cant help but rave about every time my friends ask me for books recommendation.

i was on a random dinner date with may when we started talking about i dont know, tragedies or something, and she told me this story. it was so good i immediately went to get one copy after the dinner and started reading on the bus trip home.

to my relief and delight, the book is as good as may had made it out to be, or even BETTER.

if you like quotable, emotional, melancholic books like me, you will like incredibly close, extremely loud.

practically every paragraph has something quote-worthy, and they are not the cheesy kind which are so kitsch (a new word i learnt from another book i’m going to recommend) in tearjerker novels.

to put it in a nutshell, the story is about nine-year-old oskar schell trying to cope with losing his father in 9/11. oskar is intellectual, earnest, curious and more often than not, reminds me of autistic christopher in the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, another of my favourites.

the story mainly hinges on oskar’s search around new york for the meaning of a strange key he found inside a blue vase in his father’s closet. somehow, he thought it had a hidden message from his father which could help him understand the whole tragedy. somehow, i thought so too.

on the other hand, the subplot is just as riveting, involving oskar’s paternal grandparents who told the story of their childhood, courtship, marriage, and separation before the birth of Oskar’s father. it is a very sad reflection of the struggles in a relationship burdened by guilt, grief, unrequited love and shared haunting memories.

i love the book so much i read it all over again the moment i finished it the first time round.

and of course, just like every other book that i have picked up, this one has been turned into a movie too, coming out next thursday.

though i doubt it will be any better than the book, may and i have arranged to catch it together, excited much!!!

next, the book that i’ve just finished reading is called the unbearable lightness of being, written by milan kundera and originally published very long ago in czech.

it is a largely philosophical novel, revolving around the lives of a womanizer surgeon and his rather emotionally estranged wife, their dog, the surgeon’s mistress and her lover in the erm…prague spring of the czechoslovak communist period in 1968 (what a mouthful).

to be very honest, i dont know if i’ve fully understood the overall picture of what this novel is about. i do appreciate the plot, the development of the characters, the nuances, the historical background and the theme of the individual chapters even.

but then when it comes to the bigger picture, the metaphysical theory and its interpretation that the book is trying to convey, the concepts and hidden messages…i feel rather confused.

i like many ideas raised, like how life is a result of decisions, coincidences and misunderstandings. and since we only have one life to live, with nothing else to compare the consequences of actions and decisions with; making choices, no matter how difficult and onerous, actually does not have much weight in the bigger picture. and it’s this very paradox that causes the unbearable lightness of being (woot, that is the title!).

confusing? hahaha…

it’s like looking at a world renounced art piece, impressed by its colours, the strokes applied, the subject and its interaction with its surroundings but not being able to tell what exactly the artist is trying to say.

it’s very frustrating that as much as i’ve enjoyed the little details of the book, i’ve failed to admire the overall picture that the individual pieces have come together to form. and most of all, it’s disappointing to not be able to understand and appreciate the profoundness of such a good book.

the other only thing i like about this book is when i chanced upon this article somewhere (newspaper or time magazine, i think) which says that our soul actually has a weight. it’s incredibly little, at only 21.3 grams.

it’s a conclusion from a very old experiment where it was observed that a consistent amount of 21.3 grams was lost in dying patients who were weighed before their death, and just after.

of course if you want to be really strict and technical, you can see there were many flaws in the experiment, which you can read more about online, but i just like the idea.

if our being should be incredibly light, our soul free and pure, there shouldnt be any weight to it, for weight is too hmm…mortal a concept, no?

but still…i cant really explain my fascination with the idea. i just like knowing that our soul weighs 21.3 grams, hahaha. and since i found out this cute little nugget of trivial when i was reading this book (about lightness and weight and all those philosophy about life and being), my interest for the story was intensified.

that’s all.

thank you for your attention if you have actually finished reading this whole 1000-word post about the two books i have read recently, hahaha.

and i hope you like them too, if you happen to read them some time!

ready?

set.

JUMPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and when you manage to land on both feet, laugh out loud and do it all over AGAIN!!!

sketchbooks and colour pencils can be your best friends during a picnic.

because looking at all the colours make you even happier during the already happy picnic.

and drawing and colouring makes you look artistic, hahaha.

this is a cardboard airplane you can build during a picnic.

you slowly put the pieces together.

you look happy with your new airplane.

and you use the green, soft grass as the runway for your cardboard airplane to taxi and take off into the blue, blue sky.

my little cardboard airplane flew away so fast i couldnt take a photo of it before it disappeared into the clouds.

1. because i get to eat junk (just in case you want to know, the extra packet of fries belonged to gladys, not me, i’m not THAT greedy).

though next time round, i think i will opt for chinese food like kelvin, as funny as it looked at first.

2. my favourite 小青蛙.

3. quiet time for reading.

4. blowing bubbles to scare away the ominously dark clouds.

5. seeing nemo’s friend.

6. taking whimsical pictures.

7. and sitting under a big, strong tree, feeling safe and protected.

LUCKY ME got balloted a ticket to the singapore air show 2012.

i had NEVER ever won anything in any lucky draw before; and to think that this was ONE extra ticket given to my department at the last minute and i got chosen when i didnt even know there was a draw…woot, i’m one LUCKY BABY, man!!!!

and here is chloe, equally pumped up about our excursion.

and so is the uncle behind me, i believe, hahaha!

when the HR person-in-charge told us in an email to bring our own water, an umbrella and a camera, i got really excited because it reminded me so much of primary school excursions; she only forgot to mention TIDBITS (which is actually the best part of a school trip, hahaha)!

here we are, rubbing shoulders with the “aviation’s finest”.

including the A380s?

did i mention we were hopping mad excited?

get ready to be flooded with the typical touristy photos (which you have probably seen on my facebook anyway).

highlight of the tour – going onboard one of the last 747-400s.

reminiscing the glorious days of our flagship aircraft.

sia la, our marketing not bad huh!

and we are rich too.

i tried my very best to listen to the explanation by our very dedicated, knowledgeable tour guide, but then i kept getting distracted by the singapore girl behind him.

i kept blinking to see if she was real or fake.

conclusion?

fake.

a replica (or standee?) of our singapore girl statue at the madame tussaud’s museum in london.

first commercial figure to be displayed at the world famous museum ok! WIN!

and here…one of the SIA’s pioneer cabin crew members, staff number 064.

my good friend, dont play play.

orbiang touristy shot.

tourist.

tourist.

tourist with helpless hosts who have to double up as photo mascots.

more touristy shots.

never ending.

as you may have noticed, i actually look quite awkward posing with the aircraft, but i didnt really know what to do with myself, you see, haha.

queues to go into cockpit were quite long; it was terribly hot and we were wearing skirts too short to allow us to climb into the seat gracefully enough not to give those queuing below a free show.

not quite sure what the context is…

but yes of course all heroes deserve a red carpet.

this particular aircraft is used for search and rescue missions, according to our guide.

i hope it’s not as hot during operation as it was when we were there, or recovered victims would just die in here from the heat lor.

strapping on the seat belt is so complicated it is probably one of the pilots’ entry tests in itself.

tsk, messed up my hair only.

into the cockpit (still looking touristy).

with the aircraft’s very friendly old pilot (who looks like those pilots who fly tourists around in australia, hahaha).

now a sneak peek at the next BIG thing, the dreamliner 787, woot!

and then we started to get bored (or sleepy from the sun, maybe) and started doing stupid things like taking these missiles out with our bare hands eh, oh we are such daredevils, HAHAHA.

finally, we decided to seek solace in the air-conditioned exhibition hall (spoilt brats ‘r’ us).

and ended off the tour with a photo taken with some very cool robocops, hahahaha!

i think my favourite part of the whole excursion is still the eating-tidbits-on-the-bus part, which sadly did not happen on this occasion because the changi exhibition centre is so near to my office and the bus trip took only about 15 minutes, neh neh pok.

there’s always time for bubble tea and more importantly…

bffs.

i swear it was a genuine birthday celebration.

for one of my favourite mentors (i only have two actually, but i love them both!), who naturally deserves more than just ONE cake.

so how do we know if this was indeed a real birthday surprise mission, and not an opportunity to procrastinate at work?

firstly, there was the surprise element.

and then the blow-candles pose.

followed by the prize-giving ceremony.

the yay-i’m-the-birthday-girl-with-present snapshot.

the quiet, reflective moment where birthday girl realised how loved she is.

and of course, the final group shot to celebrate yet another birthday surprise mission successfully accomplished.

see, we had the whole works, so how can you say we were skiving? hee…

the moment the music fills the hall, the door opens, the sunlight pours in and everyone turns in anticipation of seeing the beautiful bride.

cute bridesmaids in cheeky polkadots.

little girls practising for their own big day.

oh how sweet they look!

father marching in with his daughter, swelling with pride for how beautiful she is.

eyes filling up with tears as you feel so touched by the love surrounding you.

witnessing two people coming together, bound by love, commitment and faith.

hearing the heartfelt words of love from the couple; being part of that intimate, important moment between them.

sharing the joy of two families becoming one.

being infected by the blissful, joyful smiles on the couple’s faces.

funky wedding cars.

and the fact that weddings are great opportunities to catch up with old friends.

especially to see my favourite shu yun, who always looks very 无奈 in my photos but whom i’m sure misses me the MOST, hahaha!

hahaha…so see, what’s there NOT to like about weddings?!?! ♥ ♥ ♥