silens-silentium

Bought Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yesterday and spent the whole day reading it twice. The first time I finished it I felt sad, the second time I finished it nearly in tears, even though I have a niggling feeling that it felt familar, as if it was adapted from another story. Even then, it affectd me the rest of the night and is still affecting me.
As usual, alot of thoughts flowing through my brain once again, and I hope I can encapsulate them here better than my post on 11 Jul 05.

Well on the story itself, I can only say that no matter how Rowling might be critisized for deviating too much from the plot sometimes, I’ll still support her style of writing. To me, a late convert to the Potter mania, I had read books 1-4 at a go, and really, I felt that I was growing and developing together with the characters. For example, Ginny. I remember how she just used to be this shy girl who went speechless whenever her crush, Harry appeared. By Book 5, and now Book 6, she has blossomed into a fearless and mature girl, who well not only attracts guys, but Harry too. I guess you’ll partly understand why I nearly cried at the closing pages, thats if you read the book. I just feel so sad for her. Well, back to the topic, I could really see her change, grow up, right before my eyes. It just seems as if I’ve been their unknown best friend for a long, long, while.

I realised after reading the book why I liked fiction so much, especially fantasy books: Escapism. Not sure if it was load of fantasy books and TV serials I watched when I was young that shaped me this way, but I’ve always been an idealistic person, choosing to believe in a world where good and evil are clearly drawn lines, where friends are fiercely loyal, where one can freely love and chase. I am really tired of all the struggling I face almost everyday, the true reality of life. Maybe thats why everyone calls me a dreamer and an idealist.

I can’t write anymore. I always seem to be so immersed in such plots, maybe one day I’ll just drown in them. But then, I think it would be a nice way to die.

“This is a book for children of mettle. It will reward them richly, but they must no whine, they must be sunny and true and, above all, brave. The ending is almost too much to bear. I haven’t cried so hard since Charlotte died.”
- Emily Green, Los Angeles Times
Taken from Life!, The Straits Times, 18 Jul 05

As per my sentiments, exactly.

Well, I sincerely hope that Ginny and Harry do not die, and that there is a good ending to the series. I’ll really cry this time if either, or both die.

HELP!

My blog settings aare all in traditional CHINESE! How to change them? I tried changing the language settings in my blog set up already but it doesn’t seem to work. All the labelling are in Chinese and although it’s not too difficult in moving around, its seriously quite irritating.

HELP!

As usual, an ordinary dinner cum send-off tonight sent my mind whirring into overdrive again.

It never ceases to amaze me how I am constantly evolving in mindsets, thoughts, attitudes and so on. Just at this very same point this year, I was condemming everything Singaporean, essentially the universities (NUS and NTU etc.), and was so intent on going overseas. What about now? I’m just happy being in NUS; infact, I don’t really give a hoot about overseas universities anymore (well, I’m still aiming for the overseas exchange program anyway in NUS).

I think the following paragraphs might turn-off those people present tonight, but I’ll say it anyway. Forgive me if I’ve offended you k? I’ll just give you the right to throw eggs at me should there really be a need to.

The more I look back in life, and the more I think, I seem to come to a conclusion that happiness and satisfaction is determined by how much one treasures the things around him/her. I was listening to the conversation tonight on how other countries were so much better than Singapore: nice beaches, cool cultures, breathtaking scenary, etc etc. Well, I consider them as “exotic” pleasures. I used to have this dream of living on a cruise ship, and just go on a permanent cruise trip around the world. However, as I grew up, I started asking myself, would I really enjoy myself forever on that ship? For me I liken such “happiness” to eating sharks fin; you can enjoy it once in a while, but eating it 3 meals a day? I need not spell out the implications.

My 6 months as an NSF further drove home the point. Often, the simplest things i did; spending time with close friends, reading, walking from place to place, and even just break times, while I would have dismissed them anytime in the past to seek out other more “exotic” pleasures, now surprisingly I derive alot of satifaction from it. I know work is dreary, work is hectic, and of cos no work IS undeniably good. I then look to those foreign workers, the ones earning peanuts but doing back-breaking work, the ones who clear our rubbish, some who even work through the night washing cars to earn extra income, and wonder: Why are they still so happy? Yet there are others, who do practically nothing, pamper themselves with “exotic pleasures”, even indulge themselves in depravity, yet I seldom see them happy.

Happiness is all about appreciating everything in life, from the most menial of chores, to the most exotic of locations. By the way, I guess Singapore is still fine with me, even though sometimes it can be quite a chore living here.

my two-cents worth.