tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267619852011-04-22T06:37:37.699+08:00This is a journal to record my personal impressions, thots & insights (hopefully) culled from books and articles read at different points in my life. It is to help me remember why I have chosen the books to read, the different experience each reading of the same title or author brings and how each reading will resonate with my life and work. It's my own journey with what I love - reading.Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.comBlogger191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1161660814889541032006-10-24T11:02:00.000+08:002007-02-17T09:47:54.263+08:00

... Realising the Potential of Your Autistic Child by Choo Kah Ying The picture of Sebastien on the book cover caught my attention. Frankly, I missed her first picture book launch at Central Lending Library in May. I read about it from my staffer's reports but the poignancy and significance of it did not register, amidst all the other book launches, signings, readings that are common sights in

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1160284895097430682006-10-08T12:52:00.000+08:002006-10-08T13:21:35.116+08:00

Another article in today's Sunday Times Gen Y column on page 44, October 8, 2006 ("Psst! Want me to write your essay?") prompted this post.Imagine having no qualms about outsourcing your homework assignments to "professional" writers. It's no wonder that the IPR and copyrights issue remains an uphill challenge for Asia to overcome. The other day, I was wondering aloud as to why it's so

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1160282436598457962006-10-08T12:09:00.000+08:002007-02-05T02:07:01.320+08:00

There were some thought-provoking pieces in today's Sunday Times (October 8, 2006). The first that caught my attention was this news article on pg 8 by Ben Nadarajan that took a peek into the Juvenile Court to see what trouble our teenagers are getting into these days ("Oh, boy, are you in big trouble"). I think it's a good thing that the Subordinate Courts have recently relaxed the rule to allow

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1160228604242535072006-10-07T21:30:00.000+08:002006-10-07T21:51:45.356+08:00

Here are more pictures of Paris...The good old Notre Dame.You have to be inside the grand dame to see these stained glass walls (see right pic)Quartier Latin & Shakespeare & Co which are nearby:Paris from Level 3 of the Eiffel Tower Paris from Level 2 of the Eiffel Tower

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1160207766572205702006-10-07T15:52:00.000+08:002006-10-07T21:56:10.676+08:00

I was in Paris during the last week of Sep for a MetLib Conference. Armed with The Mini Rough Guide to Paris and some very hurried references from the library, I headed off to the City of Lights.The Rough Guide said that "No visitor sees Paris for the first time - images of the city are endlessly reproduced on calendars and postcards around the world, and it has been the setting for countless

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1157134528691809992006-09-02T01:51:00.000+08:002006-09-21T14:56:45.676+08:00

I had trouble initially in understanding the title of Liang Wern Foo's latest book, "Left hand's happiness" and how it relates to all the short stories that were compiled in it. In the end,I realised he was alluding to his short story writing efforts. Liang Wern Foo is more well known for his essays, poems and song lyrics. Writing works of imagination such as short stories is akin to him

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1156784406371442332006-08-29T00:41:00.000+08:002006-09-21T15:01:26.260+08:00

Ok, now you know how serious my HK TV drama addiction is. I watched the entire 25 episodes of HK latest TV drama serial, Forensic Heroes within a single weekend. It's the HK version of CSI. It starred my favorite HK TV artiste, Bobby Au-yeung. I watched the serial more than twice over. When I chanced upon Patricia Cornwell's latest book, At Risk at Jurong Point's Popular Bookstore, the blurp on

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1156782317843026922006-08-29T00:13:00.000+08:002007-01-26T17:08:39.360+08:00

I read about the book from a Sunday Times article on 27 Aug. Decided to buy the book during lunch at the MPH branch at Parkway Parade today.I wanted to read this book partly because the author is my Chairman and the book is about her son, one of the many volunteers at the library. This book has another special meaning – Soh Khim, who is the aunt of Sam, happens to be my Secondary 3 & 4 classmate

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1156781586264167842006-08-29T00:01:00.000+08:002007-01-23T13:37:42.506+08:00

It has been such a long while since my last post. Confession: I was too busy watching one HK drama serial after another. It was addictive. But I kind of like the way it dulls my mind and allows me to become totally absorbed into each story. But I was becoming anti-social. It came to a point where I was seriously considering checking myself into IMH to wean me off this addiction.In the course of

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1149211705734750162006-06-02T09:22:00.000+08:002006-09-02T03:08:04.983+08:00

This is the second book in the READ! Singapore (25 May - 5 August) series that I am reading; the first being the inspiring Kite Runner. It's a Chinese title. It's a collection of short stories that makes easier reading for someone who can count the number of Chinese works she has read in her entire lifetime with her 10 fingers. Reading Short Stories by Ai Yu or any Chinese novel is akin to me, a

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1149033135688619522006-05-31T07:21:00.000+08:002007-03-19T21:30:26.843+08:00

Last night, at about 1am or after, I finally completed my reading of Khaled Hosseini's Kite Runner. Frankly, it was one of the most moving works I have read of late. It was not the first time I read works on war-torn countries and the delibitating impact on their people. The novel was very personal on one level when it focused on the relationship between Amir and Hassan, Amir and his Baba and

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1147483253181030402006-05-13T09:03:00.000+08:002006-05-13T09:23:29.606+08:00

Fancy reading a novel that is written completely from a canine's perspective! The latest Peter Mayle book took me a long while to finish; mainly because I was inundated with work (lame excuse actually) as well as being distracted by 4 new HK drama serials that sis has brought home. Full of quirky wit and keen observations on human behaviour, A Dog's Life offered a funny take on Boy's life after

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1146058870880098722006-04-26T21:27:00.000+08:002006-09-12T10:38:27.376+08:00

The first fiction novel by Peter Mayle that I have read since Bon Appetit and A Year in Provenance. I must say that the writing remains delightful and the twists and turns in the scam surrounding a Cezanne art piece, Women with Melons were ingenious.Well, I can't quite compare the story of forgery and art scam that came with just a tad of violence as nail-biting with some of the other action

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1145848270768604032006-04-24T10:55:00.001+08:002007-02-07T17:06:55.886+08:00

Yesterday, a 2-page poignant report in Sunday Times Lifestyle cover story (pg 6-7) on Joan Chan (ex-RGS/RJC) girl who is dying from terminal tongue cancer sparked off yet another spate of emotions in me. The picture showing her skinny fingers and tubes sticking into her nose as well as the story about how her close friends rally round her by rostering themselves to visit her each day...all these

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1145768492682882472006-04-23T12:44:00.001+08:002006-05-06T11:17:27.703+08:00

I do not only read stuff about the French. As I looked back at my reading interests in the past, I realised this fascination with wanting a little more in-depth understanding and perception of another culture (via mental maps and pictures formed) through reading foreign writers' works began way way back when I first entered the working world.I remembered beginning with Milan Kundera's "The

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1145768488494725792006-04-23T12:44:00.000+08:002006-04-29T09:00:06.430+08:00

I love Hong Kong and I have been to the country almost every year since 2000. My each visit never fails to amaze me in terms of being immersed in the dynamism, vibrancy and pace of Hong Kong and Hong Kongers.It helped that in my most recent trip last month, I got down to talking to one of my ex-students, a Hong Konger who has just returned after a more than 10-year self-imposed sojourn to

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1145763784395626432006-04-23T11:27:00.000+08:002007-02-25T22:24:29.466+08:00

For the past 2 weeks, I have been looking forward to returning home from office early. The main attraction is not another Korean drama (I resolved to steer clear from them till I have ingrained a daily exercise routine to bring my cholesterol index back to a healthy level). It's Peter Mayle's A year in Provenance.It was certainly my best travel book to-date. It is delightfully funny - I was often

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1145760961741591292006-04-23T10:47:00.000+08:002006-04-29T09:01:44.070+08:00

If you have not read any of Peter Mayle's books, I would strongly recommend his latest title, Bon Appetit! The sub-title reads "Travels through France with knife, fork and corkscrew". That was the clincher that caused me to pick this book up at Tango Mango last year.What a fun read! It was worth every cent I paid for the book and it was the very reason why I decided to purchase all his works at

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26761985.post-1145759775270857182006-04-23T10:17:00.000+08:002006-04-29T10:14:49.206+08:00

It started when I picked up Almost French: A new life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull months ago at a bookstore. Of course, what compelled me to walk to the cashier with this book was the blurp on its back cover: "A delightful new twist on the travel memoir, Almost French takes readers on a tour fraught with culture clashes but rife with insight and deadpan humour - a charming true story of what

Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13479458441750533087noreply@blogger.com0