The Shadow of the Wind

One the habits I have while travelling is stopping at a bookshop in the airport. I find reading to be one of the best ways to spend time while being stuck for hours in a bloody tin-can 30,000 feet up in the air.

I've recently had the fortune to purchase a rather remarkable book titled "The Shadow of the Wind" written by a Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The book is about the life of a boy who acquired an obscure book which somehow attracts a lot of attention from other people. While the premise does not seem much, I assure you that the book oozes literary style. Zafon writes with compelling wit and charm. With a masterful style, he brings all the characters in the book to life. I felt I was really walking on the streets of Barcelona during the period after the second world war. The feeling was simply...for the lack of better word, magical. Perhaps I'm being a little melodramatic but I find it rather difficult to find of book of such quality in recent times. Then again, maybe I'm such a book lover! Still, whether it's political intrigue, drama, murder most foul and even romance, you will find it in this book.

No, I haven't finished reading this book but after the first 200 out of 506 pages, I seriously doubt I'm going to be disappointed with it. I know, it's taking me longer than usual for me to finish this book but sometimes, you find books that should be enjoyed like wine, sipped slowly, rather than taking it like vodka shots. Hmm...bad analogy but oh well...

Cheers!

Edit: I've now finished reading the book and I have to say that the conclusion of the book was not a disappointment at all. This book is highly recommended for anyone looking to enjoy a literary adventure!

Back for a bit

Ah...home sweet home! I got touched down in Malaysia on Sunday and man, I'm sure glad to be back! Philippines is a rather nice place but there's no place like home. Besides, Filipinos don't really eat vegetables and they're favorite meat is pork. Kinda hard for me to enjoy my meals there!

Filipinos are rather friendly people but like every bloody ASEAN country, whites get preferential treatmet and better service. Sigh...still in the colonial mindset, I guess. Malaysia's also not immune to this syndrome. I've got nothing against whites. I just would like to receive the same type of service. I pay equal amount of money, I should deserve the same service, right?

Anyway, I think I watched more tv during my stay in Philippines than I did in Malaysia for the past 1 year. Heh, after work I don't really have much to do. Since it's holy month, I didn't go partying at all. Watched a few movies though. I personally think that the cineplex I went to is superior than the one in GSC 1 Utama. It had excellent seats and amazing sound system!

Sad to say, due to work commitments I didn't really manage to visit the countryside. My days were spent in a concrete jungle! On the bright side, with all the fasting and INSANELY bad food in Philippines, I came back home thinner! YES!! Heh heh!

I'll be heading to Ireland after this for some training. Since it's not a holy month, I chose a hotel that's in the center of Dublin. It's well within walking distance to many bars and pubs. =)