...more favourite quotes from the two books.

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
- Duh... obviously so, Mr. King in Alice in Wonderland.

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?
- I do see what you mean, Alice. Don't you realise that this world is already so full of nonsense? Coz people are just so ridiculous.

It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.
- My point exactly, Alice. But you contradict yourself.

Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.
- Thus said the Doorknob

...happy unbirthday to me.

An Unbirthday is described as an event that is typically celebrated on any of the 364 or 365 days in which it is not the person's birthday.

I think Lewis Carroll is a genius with wordplay. I had so much fun reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I have always thought that they were just storybooks for kids. I remember snatches of stories, when I was young, about the mad hatter and the horrible queen of hearts. But at that time, I didn't realise the meanings in the words. Well, that was probably because I was reading a simplified children's version then.

Do you know what the funny thing was? It was some desktop wallpapers with quotations from Alice in Wonderland that pique my interest to finally lift the book off my shelf and start thumbing through its pages. I have no regrets.

Well, "unbirthday" is one of my favourite. I bet you love the meaning too, right? So this is my unbirthday present to you... an excerpt...

'I mean, what is an un-birthday present?'
'A present given when it isn't your birthday, of course.'
Alice considered a little. 'I like birthday presents best,' she said at last.
'You don't know what you're talking about!' cried Humpty Dumpty. 'How many days are there in a year?'
'Three hundred and sixty-five,' said Alice.
'And how many birthdays have you?'
'One.'
'And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five, what remains?'
'Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.'
... ... ...
'...and that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents - '
'Certainly,' said Alice.
'And only one for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!'

Now, who wants to give me an unbirthday present today?

...shame on you, mister, for plagiarism.

Mimicry or plagiarism? The debate is out there.
I wouldn't want to be him. I will be ashamed if I were him.

Blogs on the Brendan-Pereira Mitch-Albom issue:
Screnshots (read the comments also)
Rocky's Bru (read October 31 posts onwards)

...two poems of old.

i don't know why... but at work today... suddenly two poems i read while still in my teens... sneak into my consciousness... these two poems were by dear old robert frost... i shall refrain from making any comments... just want you to share in my fond memories of them... and soak in their meanings...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

ok... it's difficult to hold back and not spill out my thoughts... after all, the above poem is always close to my heart... i think i know what made me think about this poem... i'm again at a forked road... many forkroads in fact... i hate making decisions... and i hate having to choose... knowing that the choice not chosen will be one i would never ever know the outcome... no matter how far i try to see ahead... i can never actually determine what's beyond my sight... the hardest part is... there is no clear cut answer... both paths are well trodden... yet i gotta choose... and i realise there's no point in regrets... yeah, a few sighs now and then... memories they will be... but because i have chosen... that's the way i am... and that will shape what i am in the future...

oh... and this brings to my mind... a song that i love... which i heard yesterday over the radio on my way home... with exactly the same sentiments... here's over to bon jovi...

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

so... what made me think about this second poem today... the same last two lines... obligations and responsibilities... i wish i can stop... the woods is paradoxical... it holds danger and the unknown... yet it's seductive... restful, lovely... but dark and deep... i wanna go there but i know i should not venture in... trust my instinct and intuition... sometimes things are not what they seem... a step in may not bring me back to the path... especially when i can't find my way in the fresh snow fall...

...BBW.

Banned Books Week

i didn't even know such a week existed. thanks to lucy.in.d.sky who enlightened me.

after scanning the list of the 100 most frequently challenged book of 1990-2000, it dawned on me that i am a good girl. a-hem! hear me, i didnt say perfect angel, just a good girl coz i read less than 10 of the so-called banned books. 75% of them i have never even heard of.

but i beg to disagree on the list. well, it's a matter of opinion. i can understand why some titles are banned. i totally support banning of books with explicit languages and violence. i won't go so far as being a book burner coz i'm a carnal lover of books. yet, how my heart bled to see roald dahl's james and the giant peach on that list. know that i have wept for the catcher in the rye by j.d. salinger. why oh why have they included harper lee's to kill a mockingbird?

bless my books. keep them safe in the sanctuary of my home. protect them from their enemies of dust, decay and silverfish.

i, kwazy berry, also solemnly swear that i shall choose one of these challenged books, hunt it down, and read it.

Banned Books Week 2006 is September 23–30

...the re-emergence of the long lost blogger.

ok... kwazy berry has not been away that long... she has just gone into hibernation for almost a year... coz she was entrapped in an alternate dimension known as w.e.r.k which she barely escaped... and she needs to find her LIFE back... before she is sucked back into that seamless world...

and why does work play such a big role in our life? is it the i-can-never-get-enough-of money? is it the adrenaline rush of a great career? is it the status that goes with the designation? is it an expectation in life that all must go through?

how kwazy berry wish to be able to let it go... and she can if she wants to... and she can if she dares to... and she can if she just "can" it...

see how the dragon puffs away her fiery breath... watch the bull wastes away her horns... no wonder she names herself after a fruit... and a crazy one at that... running out of juices... turning sour when once she was ever so sweet...

weep not over the hey days of beauty... my mr. keats say...

She dwells with Beauty - Beauty that must die;
And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips
Bidding adieu, and aching Pleasure nigh,
Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips:
Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veiled Melancholy has her sovran shrine,
Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue
Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;
His soul shall taste the sadness of her might,
And be among her cloudy trophies hung.

...Reader's S*hack.

Malaysia's first online book rental website. Saw an article about it in In.Tech today. Personally, I found the books priced a bit too high. The rental price is ok though I think less than RM5 is more desirable. Still I must laud them for their entrepreneurship. Better still is to introduce Bookcrossing to everyone. ;-)

...comments about the new HP.

These comments from readers who had read the latest Harry Potter book made me feel good... that I made the right decision in not buying the book yet this time round... but I will still read it in the future.

"i wonder if anyone was let down by the new book? it was long and windy. it didnt live up to the hype :( its sooooooooooooo BLAH especially the ending although it was beautiful at the same time" - Sassa
"THE BOOK is DEFINITELY NOT worth paying RM99.90 for." - MCSC
"I was somewhat disappointed with Book 6 too, something was lost in the editing. But it's not all that bad." - B*B

...the Harry Potter hype.

I'm proud of myself. I didn't give in to the tempation of buying a RM99.90 work of fiction. Though I must admit I was at the brink of getting it because of the book voucher they offered over the weekend. I do enjoy reading the series. I must say she has a way with storytelling. But I guess at the end, the question is whether a piece of fiction is really worth that much to me. And the answer is no. Not even for a hardcover copy. I shall just wait for next year's book sale to purchase it. Or maybe wait further still for the paperback to arrive. Hey, maybe I can find it at PayLessBooks. I'm a firm believer of buying second hand books (for the "cheapness" rather than the novelty).

Well, still tons of unread books on the table...

...literature abuser.

Came across this from another person's blog, which was taken from American Literature Abuse Society (ALAS).

Self-Test for Literature Abuse: How many of these apply to you?

1. I have read fiction when I was depressed or to cheer myself up.


2. I have gone on reading binges of an entire book or more in a day.


3. I read rapidly, often "gulping" chapters.


4. I sometimes read early in the morning or before work.


5. I have hidden books in different places to sneak a chapter without being seen.


6. Sometimes I avoid friends or family obligations in order to read novels.


7. Sometimes I re-write film or television dialog as the characters speak.


8. I often read alone.


9. I have pretended to watch television while secretly reading.


10. I keep books or magazines in the bathroom for a "quick nip."


11. I have denied or "laughed off" criticism of my reading habit.


12. Heavy reading has caused conflicts with my family or spouse.


13. I am unable to enjoy myself with others unless there is a book nearby.


14. I seldom leave my house without a book or magazine.


15. When travelling, I pack a large bag full of books.


16. At a party, I will often slip off unnoticed to read.


17. Reading has made me seek haunts and companions which I would otherwise avoid.


18. I have neglected personal hygiene or household chores until I finished a novel.


19. I become nervous, disoriented, or fearful when I must spend more than 15 minutes without reading matter.


20. I have spent money meant for necessities on books instead.


21. I have sold books to support my reading "habit."


22. I have daydreamed about becoming a rich & famous writer, or "word-pusher."


23. I have attempted to check out more library books than is permitted.


24. Most of my friends are heavy fiction readers.


25. I have sometimes passed out or woken groggy or "hung-over" after a night of heavy reading.


26. I have suffered 'blackouts' or memory loss from a bout of reading.


27. I have wept, become angry or irrational because of something I read.


28. I have sometimes wished I did not read so much.


29. Sometimes I think my fiction reading is out of control.

If you answered 'yes' to five or more of these questions, you may be a literature abuser. Affirmative responses to ten or more indicates a serious reading problem --seek help now! Fifteen or more "yes" responses indicates a severe or chronic "readaholic" personality. Intervention is seldom effective at this stage.

I'm a 16! <gasp!>

...10 confessions on the same thing.

Confession time

1. I confess that I had gone to the Times Bookshop Warehouse Sale with the intention of spending at least RM200 on books.
2. I confess that I bought more than RM250 worth of books in this one sale.
3. I confess that I had given in to the temptation of obtaining more books that I could afford the time to read.
4. I confess that I still have lots of books that I have yet to read lying on my bookshelves.
5. I confess that I had already been to this particular sale two times (i.e. two days back to back).
6. I confess that I have the intention to go again this coming weekend.
7. I confess that I also have plans to buy at least one brand new book in a Times bookshop just to use my birthday voucher courtesy of Times and the RM5 X 3 vouchers reedemed from the warehouse sale.
8. I confess I am a sucker for books.
9. I confess that I have an insane obsession to possess books.
10. I confess that I am possessive over my beloved books.

...Chick Lit vs. Lad Lit

The new genres in literature. The moment you walk into a major bookstore, you will see these books arranged neatly on the shelf, all with bright and colourful cover designs. Interesting and catchy titles too.

At one point, I was actually digging in the Chick Lits. Well, the usual stuff... an ordinary working girl... age late twenties or early thirties... girl meets boy... girl falls in love with boy... girl did something stupid... boy accepts girl... girl and boy live happily as can be in this post-modern society.
E.g.: Helen Fielding's Bridget Jone's Diary, Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, etc...

Haven't really had much exposure to Lad Lits yet. So can't comment much. Anybody care to enlighten me?
E.g.: Nick Hornby's High Fidelity and About a Boy

...imposing a self-restraint order.

SOS!

I really cannot help it. I admit I have no self-control. I get seduced by the look of them. I sigh with the pleasure of touching them. I can't say 'No'. I just can't stay away.

Someone please stop me from buying more books until I read all the books in my shelf!!

I know I trapped myself into this neverending affair with books. It's either one or the other and maybe three of them at one go. My heart flutters when I see a new one. I reminisce about the old ones. I promise not to abandon any. I just want to have all my beloveds within my fingertips.

And one just arrived yesterday...

...5 of her favourite books.

Check these books out...

Ex-Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
by Anne Fadiman.
A must read for anyone who has a love affair with books.

The Lord of the Rings
by JRR Tolkien
To be awed by what imagination can do.

Animal Farm
by George Orwell
"four legs good, two legs better"

Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
What every lady dreams of...

To Cut a Long Story Short
by Jeffrey Archer
Stories with a twist

...releasing a book into the wild.

Have you heard about BookCrossing?

Interesting concept... imagine a book of yours going for a long journey... to enrich and bless the lives of people around the world (*ooh... such noble thoughts*)... hey, if you can't trot around the world, might as well let your book do it... rather than it dying a slow tortorous death, choked with dust and faded with age... a sad life... unless of course it belongs to courtly lover.

Now, which book will have the honour to be the first to be freed? Hmm... this is such a tough choice because I love all my books!!