Bubbles Needs A Bigger Book Shelf And An Island Holiday

J.K. Rowling said “I never need to find time to read. When people say to me, 'Oh, yeah, I love reading. I would love to read, but I just don't have time,' I'm thinking, 'How can you not have time?' I read when I'm drying my hair. I read in the bath. I read when I'm sitting in the bathroom. Pretty much anywhere I can do the job one-handed, I read.”

One of the reasons Wijay the Penguin Friend is moving to Langkawi because life in KL is too busy and distracting to read. He’s got a tonne of books which he wants to read and does, but at slower rate than he would like. Solution? Move to an island where you’ll have almost all the time in the world.

What a novel and radical idea. But a little extreme, even for me.

My book shelf is warping in the middle (yes it’s from Ikea) and I have books stuffed into ever conceivable little corner. I need a new book shelf but do not have space for one.

I don’t have the heart to pay RM500 for clothes but it’s no issue when it comes to books. That’s the average I pay at a book ware house sale. I’m laden with an armful of knowledge, fun, entertainment and imagination to last for months. It’s so much more worth it for the price of one designer dress.

My mini library at home is growing. A quarter of which are books I’ve not read. But I can’t help buying especially at Border’s “3 for 2” books and when Times have their member discounts on current titles.

“Marley and Me” has been staring at me each time I enter Borders in the past 6 months. I finally bought it recently. It made me laugh and it made me cry. A must for any dog lover though I was reluctant to read when Marley came to the end of his life time.

I also bought Henry David Thoreau’s Walden yesterday. That’s the book I wanted to get when I read about the line ‘I rather sit on a pumpkin……’

Friends have been raving about The Secret by Rhona Byrne. Sounds like the hottest you-can-be-rich-and-get-what-u-want book since Rich Dad Poor Dad. Instead, I chose The Science of Success by Wallace D Wattles who is one of the contributors in The Secret.

Now, if only I don’t have to entertain, meet people for various reasons, run errands and man a jumble sale stall this weekend.

Taking a sabbatical to an island sounds more and more like a feasible idea.

This Is How The Deathly Hallows Ends?!!

My eyes were closing and my brain was shutting down. But I knew I had to stay awake. I sat up then flipped over to my tummy and then continued in child’s pose. The battle scenes were exciting and so was the twist in the story. I liked how Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix stood together to fight. They were helped by so many of the other magical creatures, live and inanimate objects joined for a fight to defeat the evil Voldermort! And the question on everyone’s minds since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - whether Dumbledore was indeed right to trust Snape or not.

My eyes moved faster and faster as I sped to finish the book. The battle scene finally ended. JK Rowling is merciless. Just within the first few chapters, half a dozen characters are killed off. By the last few chapters, I’ve lost count of the wounded and the dead. Sad as it was with a few of my favourite characters killed, I still say it was a good story.

As I reached the last few chapters, I slowed down to savour what would be the last of the amazing Harry Potter series. It has been a wonderful journey spanning 10 years of reading and following the life and coming of age of the ‘Boy Who Lived’. The younger readers would have grown up along with Harry and would have resonated even more strongly with him.

Then came the final chapter. And then the last page.

I’m outraged! I can’t believe it ended this way! In just a few pages, JK Rowling negated all the fantasy which she’s conjured in people’s minds so amazingly well in all 7 books.

I can’t help but get a feel that she’s doing it for herself. She did it to safe guard her character. While I can understand why she would want to do it, I felt it was unfair for the readers. The millions of kids and adults out there! Those last pages took away all the magic which was becoming part of our everyday lives and more so when a new book is released every year or two. It was even corny.

I’m utterly disappointed and want to yell ‘IMPERIO’ at JK Rowling and I want to cast ‘OBLIVATE’ on my mind but I didn’t even have it in me to cast a Patronus. I cast my wand aside along with the book and hid under the duvet. And I realized with full conviction that I’m now a Muggle.