Perhaps it is my work or that I refuse to grow up but I just love reading children's books! To be exact, I love fantasy works for teenagers or young adults. Sometimes I also go for the illustrated books for younger ones.
This fascination with children's books has got me hooked on books by Diana Wynne Jones and recently, Cornelia Funke. Of course, we do not need to mention the bestselling Harry Potter, Narnia Chronicles and Lord of The Rings.
It was the Silver Chair by C.S.Lewis that first got me hooked to fantasy in my teenage years. Even though I read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien and I liked it, it did not really spur me to pick up the Lord of The Rings. Perhaps it is the thick volume that deterred me but it was much, much later that I finally read the book. Actually, I read it just before the first movie was released.
Now, I am in the midst of Inkspell by Funke. I find her books very fun and adventurous. I first stumbled upon her works when I was browsing through a bookstore for board books for LR. The beautiful cover of Dragon Rider depicting a blue dragon caught my attention. It looked interesting enough and the storyline I gathered from the back cover convinced me into purchasing it. I absolutely loved the book and went back looking for more of her books.
That is how I found Inkheart and now the sequel Inkspell. These two books play on our imaginations of how it would be like if characters from our books actually step out of the book or that the readers actually get to step into the book! Though Inkspell is a big draggy at certain parts, I still like it...so far. I have been taking my time reading this book that I can't even remember when I started reading it!
Sigh, if only I could get a whole free day to myself with no distractions, I would probably finish that book and start another one (of another genre) waiting to be opened.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Wednesday
Sunday
The bookworm that I am
Fantasy, romance, mysteries, thrillers, children's fiction, erotica, court thrillers, women's fiction , magazines, comics, graphic novels, ebooks, blogs and the occasional autobiography.
These are the types of reading materials that used to keep me occupied for hours on end and though my tiny little library at home is packed and overflowing with books, the only thing I miss the most after having LR is having the luxury to sit down with a good book for hours.
Admittedly, my passion for books is still strong and I still continue to cram my bookcase (which is my library, by the way) with new books. Sadly, many of these books are untouched and waiting to be read.
After LR, our lives have been thrown upside down and our schedules pretty out of whack. Instead of having tonnes of time by ourselves, Steve and I now have to share our time with LR. Cute and darling as LR is, I miss those solitude times for myself. Gone are the days when I could spend a whole evening just curl up on the sofa devouring the latest book I bought.
Now, the books I read are picture books and pop-up books during bedtime for LR. Just like his mommy, LR has picked up a passion for books and though he can't read, he recognized all the animals / creatures in his books. In my books shopping sprees, I have picked up a new habit of browsing through picture books to look for beautifully and colourfully illustrated ones for LR.
Gone are the days when I am found in the fiction section of the bookstore looking for the latest Nicholas Sparks bestseller or Mary Higgins Clark's new thriller or Nora Roberts' romance books or Kay Scarpetta's new cases by Cromwell or even a John Grisham's courtroom drama.
I used to read a variety of authors ranging from detective to horror to children's fiction. I also love Enid Blyton and Diana Wynne Jones. Whatever book which I find interesting, I would buy.
Sigh..if only I have enough time. I have been reading a children's fiction book for the past few months and till today, the bookmark is stubbornly stuck in the middle of the book. I wonder when I shall ever have the time to finish that book and move on to another book. Let's not even talk about the dozens of ebooks I bought and is stored in my laptop unopened.
These are the types of reading materials that used to keep me occupied for hours on end and though my tiny little library at home is packed and overflowing with books, the only thing I miss the most after having LR is having the luxury to sit down with a good book for hours.
Admittedly, my passion for books is still strong and I still continue to cram my bookcase (which is my library, by the way) with new books. Sadly, many of these books are untouched and waiting to be read.
After LR, our lives have been thrown upside down and our schedules pretty out of whack. Instead of having tonnes of time by ourselves, Steve and I now have to share our time with LR. Cute and darling as LR is, I miss those solitude times for myself. Gone are the days when I could spend a whole evening just curl up on the sofa devouring the latest book I bought.
Now, the books I read are picture books and pop-up books during bedtime for LR. Just like his mommy, LR has picked up a passion for books and though he can't read, he recognized all the animals / creatures in his books. In my books shopping sprees, I have picked up a new habit of browsing through picture books to look for beautifully and colourfully illustrated ones for LR.
Gone are the days when I am found in the fiction section of the bookstore looking for the latest Nicholas Sparks bestseller or Mary Higgins Clark's new thriller or Nora Roberts' romance books or Kay Scarpetta's new cases by Cromwell or even a John Grisham's courtroom drama.
I used to read a variety of authors ranging from detective to horror to children's fiction. I also love Enid Blyton and Diana Wynne Jones. Whatever book which I find interesting, I would buy.
Sigh..if only I have enough time. I have been reading a children's fiction book for the past few months and till today, the bookmark is stubbornly stuck in the middle of the book. I wonder when I shall ever have the time to finish that book and move on to another book. Let's not even talk about the dozens of ebooks I bought and is stored in my laptop unopened.
Tuesday
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
It is finally OUT! I have the much-awaited book in my tight grasp and despite my earlier impatience to get my hands on it, I find myself reading it slowly, somewhat reluctantly.
It is the last book after all and it finally sank in that this will be the last of Harry Potter (no, I don't mean last as in dead), the last of magical spellbinding journeys in Hogwarts.
From what I have read so far, Rowling focuses much on discrimination in this final book. Far from it being racial or religious, she cleverly uses discrimination against Mudbloods and muggle-born wizards.
It struck a familiar chord as racial and religious discrimination is very much real in the real world. People are still being discriminated against because of their skin colour and their religious beliefs despite what all the governments in the world advocates.
I do think that she intend her readers to read between the lines and learn the lessons there, that discrimination against a person just because he or she does not fit into one group or another is downright cruel.
But then, we all know life is never fair. Good does not always triumph over evil (again, not in reference to the book!). Politicians are never honest. Ministers are often crooks. Hogwarts and Harry Potter are just a clever author's creations.
I have only read a quarter of the book and though it is still good, the pace is fast but the draw is not there. The spell that kept me glued to it was not there. Sure, there is the suspense of uncovering answers to 'what happens to Harry' and 'will the prophecy be fulfilled?' and the great Snape debate but other than that...hmmm...let's just hope it gets better.
It is the last book after all and it finally sank in that this will be the last of Harry Potter (no, I don't mean last as in dead), the last of magical spellbinding journeys in Hogwarts.
From what I have read so far, Rowling focuses much on discrimination in this final book. Far from it being racial or religious, she cleverly uses discrimination against Mudbloods and muggle-born wizards.
It struck a familiar chord as racial and religious discrimination is very much real in the real world. People are still being discriminated against because of their skin colour and their religious beliefs despite what all the governments in the world advocates.
I do think that she intend her readers to read between the lines and learn the lessons there, that discrimination against a person just because he or she does not fit into one group or another is downright cruel.
But then, we all know life is never fair. Good does not always triumph over evil (again, not in reference to the book!). Politicians are never honest. Ministers are often crooks. Hogwarts and Harry Potter are just a clever author's creations.
I have only read a quarter of the book and though it is still good, the pace is fast but the draw is not there. The spell that kept me glued to it was not there. Sure, there is the suspense of uncovering answers to 'what happens to Harry' and 'will the prophecy be fulfilled?' and the great Snape debate but other than that...hmmm...let's just hope it gets better.
Wednesday
Lethargic and busy and Pottermania
I have been lagging behind in my blogging and my private pet projects. Due to an onslaught of work in the office, I have been unable to steal some time to enter a post or work on my manuscripts. I was not even able to take a breather!
Anyway, I have been kind of lethargic too as I do not know what should I post anymore. I have so many topics banging around my head, I don't know which one to do first. Time is another factor as I have to find some time to do it!
Also, I am all excited over the upcoming release of the final book of the Harry Potter series. I may read a lot of romances and thrillers but I am also a Potter fan. I became hooked to the series due to all the hype over Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone some years back. There were numerous reviews on the book. It really piqued my interest so I went and got a copy to read for myself what all that hype was about. The rest is history because after that first book, I was hooked. Addicted. I immediately went out to grab the second and third book. I was like a Potter junkie and impatient for the next book.
Finally, Rowling has completed the last most anticipated and awaited book to round up the whole series. I hope all this wait is worth it because frankly, the fifth and sixth book did not leave much of an impression in me. Neither did the fourth book. Sure, the plot thickens and things were explained, people die and Voldemort makes his appearance but still....it didn't hold the same spell. At least, not for me. But the books are still well written, the plots interesting and the story progresses. I guess, as a whole set, all of it are good but individually, it's a different matter.
Oddly enough, or not so odd after all, it reminded me of my fascination with the Narnia series. It also comes in a set of seven books and some of it, as an individual book, is not very remarkable while some left a lasting impression in me.
Well, in a few more days, I shall know how Rowling is going to wrap it all up nicely. Judging from how her books became darker with each new release, I would not be surprised that the seventh book do not have a happy ending.
We shall see.
Anyway, I have been kind of lethargic too as I do not know what should I post anymore. I have so many topics banging around my head, I don't know which one to do first. Time is another factor as I have to find some time to do it!
Also, I am all excited over the upcoming release of the final book of the Harry Potter series. I may read a lot of romances and thrillers but I am also a Potter fan. I became hooked to the series due to all the hype over Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone some years back. There were numerous reviews on the book. It really piqued my interest so I went and got a copy to read for myself what all that hype was about. The rest is history because after that first book, I was hooked. Addicted. I immediately went out to grab the second and third book. I was like a Potter junkie and impatient for the next book.
Finally, Rowling has completed the last most anticipated and awaited book to round up the whole series. I hope all this wait is worth it because frankly, the fifth and sixth book did not leave much of an impression in me. Neither did the fourth book. Sure, the plot thickens and things were explained, people die and Voldemort makes his appearance but still....it didn't hold the same spell. At least, not for me. But the books are still well written, the plots interesting and the story progresses. I guess, as a whole set, all of it are good but individually, it's a different matter.
Oddly enough, or not so odd after all, it reminded me of my fascination with the Narnia series. It also comes in a set of seven books and some of it, as an individual book, is not very remarkable while some left a lasting impression in me.
Well, in a few more days, I shall know how Rowling is going to wrap it all up nicely. Judging from how her books became darker with each new release, I would not be surprised that the seventh book do not have a happy ending.
We shall see.
Thursday
Thursday 13
This is my first time participating in TT so here goes:
A list of 13 things I will not regret or try not to regret doing:
1) Slacking off at work to blog / write down my story ideas. Since trying to type even a sentence after work while at home with a toddler without the said two-footer trying to add in his own words is next to impossible, I reserved some of my office time to blogging and writing my own manuscripts. I just had to be careful to quickly click on my email page or other office works in progress whenever someone walks past my desk.
2) Missing out on sleep to work on my story ideas / manuscripts. Again, I have to put both baby and husband to sleep first before I get some free time of my own to write, write and write so that I can finish that manuscript! Dark circles under my eyes? Hah, even pandas would envy the lovely pair of beauties surrounding my eyes from lack of sleep.
3) Writing romance stories even if they never get published. I started jotting short romance stories when I was a teenager and though I have dabbled in a few other genres such as horror and fantasy, I still find I love writing romance stories with the happy ever after endings. I am now working towards completing my first full length novel and sending queries out to publishers.
4) Indulging in chocolates and ice cream. As a die-hard chocoholic, I would probably die without my daily dose of chocolate. I could survive solely on a diet of chocolate so throw me on a deserted island with endless supplies of chocolate and I will live!
5) Spending more time with my family. In my hectic working world, it is very difficult to balance my roles as a sister, daughter, mother, wife, journalist, blogger, closet romance writer, chocoholic, bookworm but I'll do whatever it takes to finagle some time out of my clogged schedule to spend more time with my darling husband, Steve and hyperactive son, Ray.
6) Reading all kinds of books including erotic romance books. I am a bookworm very much like my mother so I buy all sorts of books and when I have stolen free moments, I would let myself be transported into the different worlds created by authors from around the world.
7) Yo-yo dieting. I have never been blessed with the 'thin' genes so I always have to go on a diet to lose extra baggage around the hips and butt whenever I overindulge in no. 4. But I can never stick to a diet for too long because frankly, lettuce leaves vs chocolate...no prizes for guessing which one won the fight!
8) Starting this blog. When I initially started blogging, I was very apprehensive and unsure of what to write. Now, I am glad I started as it gave me an avenue to sharpen my writing skills and air my opinions and also rant and rave!
9) Not becoming a millionaire by not choosing a 'safer' or 'stable' career. Money and materialism have not always been the main goals in my life. A simple person at heart, I don't mind living in a small apartment, driving an old car which could break down at any time of the day for no simple reason and not being able to afford luxurious things like a diamond-studded toilet seat. As long as I can live comfortably with my family, I am happy with my not-so-profitable career choice.
10) Buying skimpy, smaller sized clothes which I may not be able to fit into in this lifetime. Hey, every girl is allowed to buy clothes they wished they could somehow squeeze into someday. It's the only motivation to lay off the chocolate for like two whole minutes!
11) Learning to cook and bake. When I was younger, I have been known to burn everything I tried to cook but after meeting my gourmet husband, I have improved my skills and now, can whip up a simple meal for 20 if need to.
12) Having my son, Ray. At times I may feel like pulling out my hair in frustration over his cheeky shenanigans but all in all, he is a good kid who never fails to cheer up my days. I don't even mind the stretch marks and extra bulges I ended up with for having him.
13) Not conforming to any particular group of people. Though I am a news journalist and is supposed to be all serious, all no-nonsense and very sociable, I am far from that. I have a skewed sense of humour and tend to burst out laughing (real deep loud HAHAHAs and not those ladylike polite 'heeheehee's) at anything remotely funny to me even when in the middle of a press conference which could be very awkward. That said, I also hate attending any social events and avoided it like the plague and the only way I could be induced to attend one 'voluntarily' is by orders from the boss at work for work-related functions.
There, it wasn't so hard after all.
A list of 13 things I will not regret or try not to regret doing:
1) Slacking off at work to blog / write down my story ideas. Since trying to type even a sentence after work while at home with a toddler without the said two-footer trying to add in his own words is next to impossible, I reserved some of my office time to blogging and writing my own manuscripts. I just had to be careful to quickly click on my email page or other office works in progress whenever someone walks past my desk.
2) Missing out on sleep to work on my story ideas / manuscripts. Again, I have to put both baby and husband to sleep first before I get some free time of my own to write, write and write so that I can finish that manuscript! Dark circles under my eyes? Hah, even pandas would envy the lovely pair of beauties surrounding my eyes from lack of sleep.
3) Writing romance stories even if they never get published. I started jotting short romance stories when I was a teenager and though I have dabbled in a few other genres such as horror and fantasy, I still find I love writing romance stories with the happy ever after endings. I am now working towards completing my first full length novel and sending queries out to publishers.
4) Indulging in chocolates and ice cream. As a die-hard chocoholic, I would probably die without my daily dose of chocolate. I could survive solely on a diet of chocolate so throw me on a deserted island with endless supplies of chocolate and I will live!
5) Spending more time with my family. In my hectic working world, it is very difficult to balance my roles as a sister, daughter, mother, wife, journalist, blogger, closet romance writer, chocoholic, bookworm but I'll do whatever it takes to finagle some time out of my clogged schedule to spend more time with my darling husband, Steve and hyperactive son, Ray.
6) Reading all kinds of books including erotic romance books. I am a bookworm very much like my mother so I buy all sorts of books and when I have stolen free moments, I would let myself be transported into the different worlds created by authors from around the world.
7) Yo-yo dieting. I have never been blessed with the 'thin' genes so I always have to go on a diet to lose extra baggage around the hips and butt whenever I overindulge in no. 4. But I can never stick to a diet for too long because frankly, lettuce leaves vs chocolate...no prizes for guessing which one won the fight!
8) Starting this blog. When I initially started blogging, I was very apprehensive and unsure of what to write. Now, I am glad I started as it gave me an avenue to sharpen my writing skills and air my opinions and also rant and rave!
9) Not becoming a millionaire by not choosing a 'safer' or 'stable' career. Money and materialism have not always been the main goals in my life. A simple person at heart, I don't mind living in a small apartment, driving an old car which could break down at any time of the day for no simple reason and not being able to afford luxurious things like a diamond-studded toilet seat. As long as I can live comfortably with my family, I am happy with my not-so-profitable career choice.
10) Buying skimpy, smaller sized clothes which I may not be able to fit into in this lifetime. Hey, every girl is allowed to buy clothes they wished they could somehow squeeze into someday. It's the only motivation to lay off the chocolate for like two whole minutes!
11) Learning to cook and bake. When I was younger, I have been known to burn everything I tried to cook but after meeting my gourmet husband, I have improved my skills and now, can whip up a simple meal for 20 if need to.
12) Having my son, Ray. At times I may feel like pulling out my hair in frustration over his cheeky shenanigans but all in all, he is a good kid who never fails to cheer up my days. I don't even mind the stretch marks and extra bulges I ended up with for having him.
13) Not conforming to any particular group of people. Though I am a news journalist and is supposed to be all serious, all no-nonsense and very sociable, I am far from that. I have a skewed sense of humour and tend to burst out laughing (real deep loud HAHAHAs and not those ladylike polite 'heeheehee's) at anything remotely funny to me even when in the middle of a press conference which could be very awkward. That said, I also hate attending any social events and avoided it like the plague and the only way I could be induced to attend one 'voluntarily' is by orders from the boss at work for work-related functions.
There, it wasn't so hard after all.
A tribute to my mom
Not one inclined to pink, frilly stuff or swooning spells, I could say my mom is as tough as a bull terrier. I will always remember my mom's 'butter won't melt in my mouth' demeanor when faced with a difficult situation or her open-minded attitude to everything in life.
My mom had three main passions and those were books, pets and jewellery.
A bookworm through and through, my mom must have a book in hand whenever she goes to the toilet or before bedtime. She was such a voracious reader that she reads almost anything and everything she could get her hands on, from memoirs to thrillers to romance.
It is her influence that has me addicted to books and it is her relentless support in my budding interest in writing during my teenage years that has spurred me on to never give up my dream of becoming a full-time writer.
Then of course there are her pets. Oh my mom is an animal lover through and through who believed in saving as many strays as she could. In all of my life, my mom always had a pet or three staying with her, be it cats or dogs or even white pet rats! Just before she passed away, she had a total of 15 cats and four dogs with her, all rescued from starvation and abandonement. Fortunately, her husband, my stepfather, shared her passion too and loved each and every animal under their care.
I remember visiting them years ago and was treated to this wonderful touching scene of cats and dogs squeezing themselves into bed together with my mom and stepdad at night. It was a picture perfect moment. Priceless actually considering the dogs and cats get along with each other like one big happy family. Even the grouchy, high-pitched, noisy chihuahua which barks and growls at everyone and every moving thing other than my mom does not mind squeezing with other cats and dogs.
Even after all these years, when I think of my mom, it is this very image that comes to mind. She and her loving husband and their menagerie of pets.
It has been two years now since my mom's passing and I still misses her every day. Often I would absentmindedly compose an email to send her and then realised that she is no longer there to make my stepdad print out the email for her because she wouldn't touch the new fangled electronic thing called a computer with a barge pole. Regrets for words unspoken will always be there as I was never given a chance to say goodbye, to see her for the last time, to tell her that I loved her. She never even get to meet her first grandchild as she passed away when I was nine months pregnant.
Barely a year after her passing, my dear sweet stepdad joined her in the afterlife. My stepdad's grief over her passing was so deep that he never recovered from it and I honestly believe that he died of a broken heart.
I would like to think that they are finally reunited now after the brief separation.
So for this Mothers' Day, I would like to tell all daughters and sons out there to at least tell their mothers that they love them before it was too late. I never did get a chance to say these three simple words to my mom before she died and I am certain she is probably keeping an eye on me and my family from wherever she is now.
My mom, she will always be the queen in my heart. It is also in honour of her memory that I am using her name, Nani, as part of my pseudonym in my writing life.
My mom had three main passions and those were books, pets and jewellery.
A bookworm through and through, my mom must have a book in hand whenever she goes to the toilet or before bedtime. She was such a voracious reader that she reads almost anything and everything she could get her hands on, from memoirs to thrillers to romance.
It is her influence that has me addicted to books and it is her relentless support in my budding interest in writing during my teenage years that has spurred me on to never give up my dream of becoming a full-time writer.
Then of course there are her pets. Oh my mom is an animal lover through and through who believed in saving as many strays as she could. In all of my life, my mom always had a pet or three staying with her, be it cats or dogs or even white pet rats! Just before she passed away, she had a total of 15 cats and four dogs with her, all rescued from starvation and abandonement. Fortunately, her husband, my stepfather, shared her passion too and loved each and every animal under their care.
I remember visiting them years ago and was treated to this wonderful touching scene of cats and dogs squeezing themselves into bed together with my mom and stepdad at night. It was a picture perfect moment. Priceless actually considering the dogs and cats get along with each other like one big happy family. Even the grouchy, high-pitched, noisy chihuahua which barks and growls at everyone and every moving thing other than my mom does not mind squeezing with other cats and dogs.
Even after all these years, when I think of my mom, it is this very image that comes to mind. She and her loving husband and their menagerie of pets.
It has been two years now since my mom's passing and I still misses her every day. Often I would absentmindedly compose an email to send her and then realised that she is no longer there to make my stepdad print out the email for her because she wouldn't touch the new fangled electronic thing called a computer with a barge pole. Regrets for words unspoken will always be there as I was never given a chance to say goodbye, to see her for the last time, to tell her that I loved her. She never even get to meet her first grandchild as she passed away when I was nine months pregnant.
Barely a year after her passing, my dear sweet stepdad joined her in the afterlife. My stepdad's grief over her passing was so deep that he never recovered from it and I honestly believe that he died of a broken heart.
I would like to think that they are finally reunited now after the brief separation.
So for this Mothers' Day, I would like to tell all daughters and sons out there to at least tell their mothers that they love them before it was too late. I never did get a chance to say these three simple words to my mom before she died and I am certain she is probably keeping an eye on me and my family from wherever she is now.
My mom, she will always be the queen in my heart. It is also in honour of her memory that I am using her name, Nani, as part of my pseudonym in my writing life.
Sunday
So you want to be a writer?
When I was a kid, whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, my reply was always 'I want to be a writer just like Enid Blyton'.
The response is also always the same, 'But why? You are better off becoming a doctor/ engineer / (insert any other high-paying jobs)'.
Even my father was not very encouraging, telling me to get good grades in school and take a practical course in college such as business administration or architecture.
"You can write in your free time," was his reply when I told him I only want to write, nothing else. Architecture indeed! Imagine, clumsy me designing a building. I can just imagine forgetting to include a column or two into the building structure and the building crumbling into pieces the moment someone sneezed at it.
So, for the greater good and for the sake of everyone's life (I don't want to accidentally kill someone by bungling up in any of the above-mentioned professions), I decided to stick with my dream.
Of course, I have quite a few others who would tell me to ignore the sceptics and continue chasing my dream.
My number one fan was my mother who encouraged me and took the trouble to read the many stories I penned in my teenage years. My other fans are my circle of school friends who would wait patiently to read my short stories (most of which are romances since I was into Mills & Boons and Harlequin books at that time) and ask for more.
Now, years later, I am still working to fulfil this dream. I still scribble storylines and ideas whenever I have time. I started blogging to keep my creative writing skills honed and active.
Somehow along the way I managed to land myself in a writing job as a news journalist with a local daily. It was not what I wanted, but hey, it pays the bills.
Again, I get the same scepticism from other 'serious career minded non-journalist friends'.
"Are you sure you want to be a journalist? There's not much future in it, you know," one well-meaning friend would say.
"Well, since I do not have a college degree, I can't possibly be a doctor, can I? Nor can I be an architect, so I will have to settle with what I do best, writing," I told that well-meaning friend.
Fortunately, my circle of good friends continue to support me. One actually made sure I continue writing down my story ideas by nagging me at every turn.
"Have you completed your book yet?" he would ask when we 'bumped' into each other online recently.
"Err...not yet but getting there soon," was my sheepish reply.
"It's been ,what, ten years?? When are you going to complete it? Until you turn 99 with one foot in the grave?"
"Well.....I've been busy..."
"Excuses! I thought you wanted to be an author? Whatever happened to that?"
"I am working on that, really, honestly, believe me..."
"Hummpphhh...if you don't work on it, then don't come whining to me about having to write boring news articles day in day out!'
"I don't whine. Besides, how can anyone whine through an online chat? And I have a toddler at home to care for and a lot of work in the office and house chores to boot. so there!"
"Again, excuses, excuses."
"Hey, if you volunteer to babysit my son every once in a while, perhaps I would have completed the book by now!"
"Hah! Nice try! We live in different states and I am, thankfully, thousands of miles away, remember? So, don't try to foist the blame on me!"
"Okay, okay, stop nagging me. I don't need the extra stress, ok? It's not my fault that my husband is not a millionaire and we do not have a maid at home and I have to work to help pay the bills. I promise you that I will have the manuscript complete by...err... end of this month, so there!"
"We will see then," was his ominous reply.
Now, it is mere days from the end of the month and I am only at Chapter Four. I better not logon for too long, he might see me!
Better go, I have another six chapters to write, daily news articles to write, house chores to do, hyperactive baby to control and less than 48 hours per day to do all that! Oh, @#$%, I have not done my taxes yet too! Whose idea is it to only have 24 hours per day anyway?
The response is also always the same, 'But why? You are better off becoming a doctor/ engineer / (insert any other high-paying jobs)'.
Even my father was not very encouraging, telling me to get good grades in school and take a practical course in college such as business administration or architecture.
"You can write in your free time," was his reply when I told him I only want to write, nothing else. Architecture indeed! Imagine, clumsy me designing a building. I can just imagine forgetting to include a column or two into the building structure and the building crumbling into pieces the moment someone sneezed at it.
So, for the greater good and for the sake of everyone's life (I don't want to accidentally kill someone by bungling up in any of the above-mentioned professions), I decided to stick with my dream.
Of course, I have quite a few others who would tell me to ignore the sceptics and continue chasing my dream.
My number one fan was my mother who encouraged me and took the trouble to read the many stories I penned in my teenage years. My other fans are my circle of school friends who would wait patiently to read my short stories (most of which are romances since I was into Mills & Boons and Harlequin books at that time) and ask for more.
Now, years later, I am still working to fulfil this dream. I still scribble storylines and ideas whenever I have time. I started blogging to keep my creative writing skills honed and active.
Somehow along the way I managed to land myself in a writing job as a news journalist with a local daily. It was not what I wanted, but hey, it pays the bills.
Again, I get the same scepticism from other 'serious career minded non-journalist friends'.
"Are you sure you want to be a journalist? There's not much future in it, you know," one well-meaning friend would say.
"Well, since I do not have a college degree, I can't possibly be a doctor, can I? Nor can I be an architect, so I will have to settle with what I do best, writing," I told that well-meaning friend.
Fortunately, my circle of good friends continue to support me. One actually made sure I continue writing down my story ideas by nagging me at every turn.
"Have you completed your book yet?" he would ask when we 'bumped' into each other online recently.
"Err...not yet but getting there soon," was my sheepish reply.
"It's been ,what, ten years?? When are you going to complete it? Until you turn 99 with one foot in the grave?"
"Well.....I've been busy..."
"Excuses! I thought you wanted to be an author? Whatever happened to that?"
"I am working on that, really, honestly, believe me..."
"Hummpphhh...if you don't work on it, then don't come whining to me about having to write boring news articles day in day out!'
"I don't whine. Besides, how can anyone whine through an online chat? And I have a toddler at home to care for and a lot of work in the office and house chores to boot. so there!"
"Again, excuses, excuses."
"Hey, if you volunteer to babysit my son every once in a while, perhaps I would have completed the book by now!"
"Hah! Nice try! We live in different states and I am, thankfully, thousands of miles away, remember? So, don't try to foist the blame on me!"
"Okay, okay, stop nagging me. I don't need the extra stress, ok? It's not my fault that my husband is not a millionaire and we do not have a maid at home and I have to work to help pay the bills. I promise you that I will have the manuscript complete by...err... end of this month, so there!"
"We will see then," was his ominous reply.
Now, it is mere days from the end of the month and I am only at Chapter Four. I better not logon for too long, he might see me!
Better go, I have another six chapters to write, daily news articles to write, house chores to do, hyperactive baby to control and less than 48 hours per day to do all that! Oh, @#$%, I have not done my taxes yet too! Whose idea is it to only have 24 hours per day anyway?
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