Chasing Daylight

My most recent read is a non-fiction book by Eugene O'Kelly, entitled "Chasing Daylight". It's one of those books that have been sitting on my shelf for the longest time - like a year or so. It never fails to amaze me how fast time flies. Anyway, on the cover it writes "New York Times Bestseller", so I'm told. But what provoked me to buy this book wasn't that it was on the bestseller list of the NYT, it was the very nature of the book - last words by a dying someone. And it was it isn't a moany and groany piece, or the "you got to live well, what happens if you die tomorrow" in-your-face kind of book. What really enticed me though, was he was the former CEO of KPMG America. The kind of person that lived his life at 100 miles per hour, with much thrill and action and exhilaration in the business scene. The stark contrast of living that kind of life, planning for weeks, months and years ahead, only to hear that he had only 3 months to live.

I'd like to quote something from that I've once heard by someone who's successful in his own right. More or less the same stuff...

"You can do anything if you give your best energy to it. Time truly becomes less important."

It's a paradigm shift, when so much of our work is prized upon how many hours we clock in, commitment is based on the sheer amount of time we're at work. But it isn't time that we're viciously fighting against, think of it, we'll lose. What we got to focus on is on putting in our best, our all, so that time somehow slows for us. Because of sheer concentration and focus, we find ourselves accomplishing more than we could have imagined. Or maybe the same amount of success, but less time engaged in work.

Not done with the book yet, but when I am I probably should pen down my thoughts. Not sure when that would be though... There's just too many things to do, and I do need to believe I can do it all, I can do everything and anything.

Novel

Not a review, this post. It's just a scribbling of my search for a new novel to read. There are some titles at the back of my head, I'll list them down:

The white tiger by Aravinda Adiga (Man Booker Prize winner, '08)
The god of small things by Arundhati Roy
A thousand splendid suns, or Kite runner by the same author - Khaled Hosseini
Oliver Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (this year's Pulitzer Prize winner)
The gathering by Anne Enwright (Man Booker Prize winner too)

And basically considering a Man Booker or Pulitzer Prize winner. I know I shouldn't use prizes and what nots to ascertain if a book's great. Then again, what's great, excellent, far better than average? Does winning a prize automatically determine that? I'll say no, but it sure helps in narrowing a list of books to choose from. It's almost dizzying having to pick out a book to buy from the bookstore. I know it sounds weird, but I like to have a few books in mind before going down to the store to compare the few. I mean, I won't mind being vague and saying, okay, let me go pick out a book from Borders. I guess I'm being more anal this time 'cos I've got some expectation of a good novel read. It's been a while since I finished a novel, and there's the appetite that needs to be whet, a thirst for a good book that I can devour entirely.

And hey, if I do pick out a book soon, I'll be able to revive this personal review blog a little. Which reminds me, I can't believe UP is ending and I haven't caught it. I don't think anywhere shows it in 3D anymore, ahhhhh, I missed wearing those plastic specs.

ST Grammatical/ Spelling Error

So I've heard of the multitude of spelling and grammatical errors ST had, and continues to have. I never thought much of it, the main reason being I hardly read the daily paper. The secondary reason, and ironically the more important one is that I don't think my England is that powderful to accurately critique what's "grammatically correct" and what's not. I'm thinking, I don't even write grammatically flawless essays in the first place (or at least I don't think so). Reason being, I can't even remember the technicalities of grammar, like subject, verb, object, and I'm probably writing it wrong, so you see my point here.

And then I saw this, no big deal, but now I get what those folks are grumbling about, that yes, ST does have grammatical errors. I've seen it aplenty in CNA online, just haven't seen enough to see it on ST.

Here's an example:

"This mean that going forward, ANZ will hire more staff in Singapore, including commercial bankers and relationship managers, he said." Okay, I just realised he's quoting some guy, but I remember seeing brackets in articles, like (this) one. I think that's the reason for brackets right? Do educate me if I'm wrong.

So here's from me in a LOOOOOONG while!

Arriving (Album) by Chris Tomlin

It's a 2004 album, but well worth it to dig it out. It's one of the few albums I own in hard copy. And one of the few that I love listening to nearly every track on it. 

There's well-known worship songs like "Indescribable", "Holy is the Lord", "How great is our God" all packed in this one. Other pretty famous tracks include "Unfailing love" and "King of glory". The rest, like "Your grace is enough", "The way I was made", "Mighty is the power of the cross", "All bow down", "On our side" and "You do all things well", you might not know, but equally pleasant to the hear. More importantly, Chris Tomlin uses simple themes, one any congregation can sing their hearts out in worship. I read before in an interview that that's what he wanted, to write songs that anyone can relate to and worship using that. 

I like Casting Crowns for their stories, especially Mark Hall with his uncanny ability to focus on specific issues. But I also like Chris Tomlin for his worship songs, albeit seemingly more general in nature. I'm listing both 'ends' because they both have their merits. And if writing worship music is to the glory of God, well, that's the most important.

I got to add though, the reason why I decided to post an entry on this album is the eleventh and last song on the album track - "You do all things well". It's a song that really grips my heart when I'm filled with doubt, when the future seems uncertain, when circumstances don't seem to let me praise God... Some might say it's masochism, clinging on to hope when everything shouts it's all futile. 

And the song talks about how God does all things well. How ironic... Still it stirs my heart somehow.

"Star creator, wind breather... light from the heaven, touching the ground

You made it all, said let there be, and there was all that we see,

The sound of Your voice, the works of Your hand

You do all things well, You do all things well, You do all things well"

The qualities of God as Creator of all, in control of all. He created Mt. Everest, there is no mountain to high to surmount. He made the oceans deep, there is nothing that can be deeper than His love.

Hope, in the midst of all that is wrong. Light in the face of utter darkness.

There can be, and not only just glimmers, but the knowledge that when God does anything, He does it all to perfection.

I wonder why this album's called arriving. I suppose for me it's a reminder that I have arrived in the Kingdom of God. 

33Miles

if you're interested in hearing a new ccm band, just this out. although u got to play a game to get the free mp3 (click here), it's well worth it. i really like the song, and i like the band's sound. has a rockish sound, though not hard rock or anything like that. think switchfoot, goo goo dolls, kind of music.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

(Copied and pasted from my review on FB's iRead)

Gave it 5 Stars out of 5. Since I'm so anal I should give it 4.5, but nah, it is a brilliant book.

Probably the only book I ever 'dissected', attributed to doing it in upper Secondary. I greatly appreciated this book for Lit, although it began pretty boring the tension, story builds up and unfolds as the pages turn. 

There are different subplots (no spoilers, hehe) and in the end when you're done with the book, will realize that they all fall into place. (I'm saying subplots because I believe the central plot revolves around the trial) That these side-stories contribute to the intricate weaving of the beauty of this book.

And it's always a surprise to note that this is Harper Lee's only book written, which makes the Pulitzer Prize this book won not so surprising at all. Digressing again, yes this is the same Harper in the 2005 film Capote. The book also seems to be sort of an autobiography of the author. With that said, what's not to read about this awesome novel. This isn't just something the author plucked out from her imagination, but also from her own life lenses.

Introduction

This is a space, mainly for me to archive my reads. In a sense to be able to summarise and pen down the feelings and reactions to different reads. I might include music album reviews, but that will probably be an occasional post here and there.

Book reading does enrich one's soul, but it seems to me that I like most people, forget what I read over time. So what brilliant idea to overlap this recap of feelings toward a particular book, by benefiting others who do read this space! What's good, or since that's subjective, a short exposition of feelings to a particular piece of work should be shared. In the same way I do invite people to post in this site, the more the merrier ain't it.

I must add a word of note though, most books I'm reading now are Christian Literature. So don't be too surprised if you think they're all from the same genre.