Coffee Black

Long before the Starbucks, Coffee Bean and whatever other coffee chain fad blazed through Singapore, I was a fan of the quiet cuppa, coupled with pen or paper, or more recently, a good book. But since the abovementioned coffee chains have switched to pop radio over jazz CDs and are often fodder for students cramming for exams, group discussions and what have you, savouring the concept of a quiet read meant hunting around for lesser known but comfortable little tea shops.

Had a yummy salmon sandwich from Soup Spoon after my gym workout and what better way to spend my afternoon off sipping on green tea latte while poring over Fried Green Tomatoes from Whistlestop Cafe. I love the concept of the place – woody, black based, soft rock that hovers in the back ground but doesn’t get too loud. Their contact list? “Blackmail”. The cheek in it. Coffee & food place by day – obviously a fave amongst Change Alley crowd, after work drinks by night – turn down the lights and it gets conducive for a bottle. They carry lesser known brands too, not just the typical pub crowd brands. The quiet alley makes it feel like you’re far away from the rest of the world, but turn round the corner and hey! you’re back to civilisation. Just the place for bookworms like me to sink a sore butt into their cushy seats.

If you work odd hours and can be there during office hours like me, go visit! But be warned – Black’s charm has its hold over the CBD lunch time crowd as well.

When I grow up

I must admit I’m a cheapo when it comes to books. Books are expensive and storage is scarce so my favourite way to source for books to read (if I don’t read about them from someone elses blog) is to browse Borders Book Store at Wheelock Place. That way I don’t have to deal with stashes of once read only books in my already cluttered room. Besides, I give NLB a run for their money .

One of the books I was impressed upon recently was The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a 40 Year Friendship. Judging from the 10 smiling adult faces on the cover, I assumed it would be a non fiction tale of an inseparable clique who grew up and eventually lived on the same street or town, raising their children together. I was right and wrong in a way. Jeffrey Zaslow, of The Last Lecture fame had interviewed these 10 women in a recent get together of theirs. The book starts out with a brief introduction of the girls and a more indepth coverage about some of them. Then it evolves into an anthropological discussion.

In their childhood, they had not all known each other; in their youth, they had not all liked or gotten along with each other. But as they came of age and moved away, they learnt to deal with isolation and loneliness in different colleges, relationships, marriage & divorce, child raising, careers, illnesses, death of parents, children, siblings & even one of them and of course aging. They kept in touch through the years, first by phone, visits and letters, then email and websites. The book goes through every one of these issues (and more), the most tear jerking being Karla’s loss of her oldest daughter. The most precious & charming child, never growing up but fighting and suffering in the face of a life changing disease.

In a world where friendships are broken and lost far too easily, the story of 10 people managing to keep in touch even prior to the internet ages is amazing. And it reminds me that I need friends, not just because people who have friendships live longer, but also to form and hold on to memories when I grow old.

And there was light

The inspiration for grown up nerd first came about after months of chasing food and lifestyle blogs. Even my behind-the-times boss talked about setting up a blog for his guppy collection! So I figured, since I read and occasionally write about the books I read on a frequent basis, why not set up one dedicated to it?

The term grown up nerd came about from Haven Kimmel’s The Solace of Leaving Early in which the antagonist Langston writes an apt description of the grown up nerd. The seed of book blogging was planted but probably didn’t take fruit till I read Pamela Ribon’s Why Girls Are Weird. Well, I may not garner a following like Anna does, but its worth a try no?

I know this is hard work but this may just be the closest I’ll ever get to fulfilling my dream of being a writer. If this blog inspires you, let me know! If this is your first time reading me, read on, and read the books thereafter! Happy reading