Well I was happily reporting my latest read when they decided to recommend Land of a hundred wonders to me. I truly can’t imagine who voluntarily read that book, but its crudeness and loopholes were let’s say… horrendous.

The next time you’re enjoying your dessert in a chic, posh restaurant, think about the filth, politics and fatigue that goes on behind the scenes. One might think that a high class restaurant might have passed some form of hygiene rating, better than a coffee shop, but in truth, the back of kitchen counter may not be that much cleaner than your average hawker centre. The people in it may not be that much more politically correct than your 9 to 5 office boss. The hours could be equally exhausting, but the pay isn’t exactly more attractive.

Not counting the burns, customer complaints, constantly being on your feet, and complete lack of social life. Something to think about on your next restaurant visit.

Now in hand:

Prying open the pages one sleepy Sunday morning, it took me a while to get used to the appalachian slang and the characters in the book. Written in 3 sections, from 2 or more persons perspectives at a time, the tale of 4 generations of women who were born and lived on Bloodroot mountain is narrated.

Perhaps it is the curse, or perhaps someone who has had a taste of living free could never stay put in confinement for long. And so the struggle to live free and love strong is a battle to be won through the decades. Time changes all things but the determination to hold on to your faith decides whether you emerge victorious.

K.ki probably needs no introduction – it’s been raved about on multiple blogs and food sites and I just had to go see it for myself. Tucked right in a tiny corner of a cross junction, it took a little while to locate, but inside was every Singaporean child & dessert lover’s dream come true.

For someone who needs a few good cuppas to sustain through a few days, it was disappointing to know that K.ki didn’t have much to offer in terms of drinks. They only had that many cakes too, but that was perfectly ok because it was just. so. good. Not quite the place to make you want to hang out for the afternoon, but  once you’ve gotten over the childhood reminiscence of Little Drom Store, the clean and quiet feel of the surroundings just makes you want to get lost in the pages of a good book.

Be warned when you go into OUAM: My initial thought was “Erm. Where should I sit?”

You see, OUAM has an extremely unique layout of benches, low tables and stools. The clutz in me might just sit on a low table. But once that problem’s been cleared out of the way, you’ll have to decipher their ice cream flavour codes and decide which form (ice cream or milkshake) you’d like it in, right under the watchful eyes of a very cute guy. *gulp*

For me, I’d like to go for the exotic. But you see, it was out of stock on Friday. So chocolate it’ll be then. In the very tiny and health conscious form for me.Very clever and chic, OUAM’s sweetness lies in its lovely light jazz and easy to listen music in the background, combined with floor to ceiling windows to allow sunlight through.

Life’s challenges are easily forgotten in between the pages of a good read. Why not make it even sweeter with a good cake or good shake.

Josey would understand. Because she has a secret stash of chocolate, cookies, cakes and other sweet bits at the back of her closet and these are her comfort food whenever she’s lonely and upset. After all, chocolate always makes us feel good right?

As typical of all chick lit or young adults books, The Sugar Queen is a book in which all wrongs are righted and situations never get seriously bad. Better still, dreams come true. But the lesson behind it: No point wallowing in a dessert if you don’t have the guts to get out and challenge life.

Perhaps a gentle reminder to me that the answers to life’s problems don’t end with the next bar of chocolate.

The earlier, by Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman is a compilation of short anecdotes throughout his life on all the things he tried to make work (and won him prizes) and all the things that he dabbled in and he was intrigued by. It was a bit of a struggle for me because there were a lot of mathematics and physics gabble which I’d long forgotten from my junior college days (I wasn’t very good and that and just never saw the relevance in daily life). But obviously these equations and theories were very close to his heart, because in every occurence, he found an amazing application for them. And I must say he also tried his hand at a lot of other non scientific things like music making, drawing and whathaveyou and comes across as one who went through life, curious about life and interesting in how things worked. Possibly the recipes to a fulfilling (if not successful) life from a weird one who did things out of sheer enjoyment rather than seeking social acceptance or recognition.

The later, by Amy Bloom consisted of a compilation of short stories which although dispersed, were pretty well written. No, I don’t know why there were a cherry and an orange on the cover. I was also a little confused by the jumps between the short stories which were supposedly themed by love. Yes, I suppose the characters were driven by love in different forms – the casual reader in me would have to think a little deeper into it.

Also encountered the most unlikely reading room – the foodcourt in the basement of Central! I’ve always loved Central for being so quiet and unvisited and I recently realised that the foodcourt is a cheaper alternative to the other restaurants upstairs. While having dinner this evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see someone else reading while waiting for someone – obviously a convenient haunt for privacy, accessibility and tranquility (read: no irritating muzak).

Now just starting on The Sugar Queen. Just right for a sugar addict like me.

Until I read this book, I never thought about it, but how many of them realised that their memories were going, day by day? How many of them listen to us talking about them and wonder who we’re talking about? When we try not to confuse or stress them, do they feel that we’re trying to hide something from them?

Still Alice charts the journey of a university professor who has early onset Alzheimer’s Disease and her struggles to cope with her gradual loss of capacities, roles and orientation; her family’s acceptance, willingness to care for her and sacrifices made to ensure she remains part of their lives. As the gradual role reversal takes place, as does love grow within the family. As one who tries to help solve everyone’s family problems, will I be able to resolve my own family difficulties when the time comes?

Exerpts from the book sounded uncannily like real life – women going berserk in public; getting hunted down by your lover’s wife; finding out that the man of your dreams has been two, three or maybe six-timing you. Tuccillo’s book was a subtle reminder of the biggest no-nos in life. Don’t be desperately hung up for the guy who doesn’t call. Don’t settle for the next available guy even though he might be the only available one who comes along. Don’t be too concerned about getting attached that you neglect the things that REALLY matter in life.

Maybe not everyone is desperate for a partner, or is maybe secretly hoping, dreaming that the right guy will come along. How to be Single speaks to the lonely at heart nonetheless, though its parodies of real life could be made more meaningful if they were true stories of real life.

In the mean time, I’ll be getting an account on match.com

2 tales of 2 ladies, in different places, from different pasts, heading towards different futures. Yet, their lives are tragedically linked in their desire for better days, and then more. How does poverty and corruption push one to the edge? How does love hold one up to the end?

While I was initially reluctant to read this book thinking I would get even more depressed in my current state of affairs. But the engaging plot and the steadfastness of its characters kept the pages turning and before I knew it, I was at the end.