book review: the notebook

i have finished reading the notebook within a few days by reading it during the hours on the mtr every day. nicholas sparks is indeed a good writer. he uses simple language to show us pictures of scenery and personality of his characters. he also does not need to use complicated words and phrases, but has succeeded in conveying to readers very deep thoughts and meanings.

the notebook is a love story. it tells the power of love. the strong love between the two main characters has reunited them even though they had separated for more than ten years after they first met and fell in love. the strong love has also helped them go through the difficult, last journey when one of them suffered from Alzheimer's disease at an old age.

i cried when i read about this man feeling sad and lonely as his wife cannot remember him anymore because of the disease. i cried when he reads again the last letter prepared by his wife telling him that how much he means to her and that she loved him in the past, loves him now and will love him in future. i cried when the wife states in the letter asking her husband not to be angry with her on days she does not remember him (because of the disease).

in the story, the author has mentioned the power of literature and especially poetry in people's lives. the following quotes are good for thoughts:

"poets knew that isolation in nature, far from people and things man-made, was good for the soul, and he'd always identified with poets."

"poetry, she thought, wasn't written to be analyzed; it was meant to inspire without reason, to touch without understanding."

dish cabinet

i reorganized the dish cabinet over the weekend, adding racks to it so that plates and bowls of different sizes are in different "shelves". this allows me to get the plates and bowls easier. in the past, i needed to take the whole stack of plates out if i wanted to use the one on the bottom. the cabinet looks very organized now. and i feel satisfied. every time i put things in order, i feel happy and a sense of satisfaction. i guess i should change my job to be a housemaid!

my dearest grandma

i went to the cementery on sunday not because of the chung yeung festival. it was because on 16 october three years ago, my dearest grandma died.

i went to her graveyard early in the morning, putting some flowers in the stony pot. and i prayed. in my prayer, i thanked god that she had accepted jesus and converted to christianity though at an old age. that was so amazing. i simply have to admit that it was the power of god.

so, even if i still miss my grandma very much now, i have faith that i can see her again when this world comes to an end in the future. that is a comfort to me. this promise from god had indeed comforted me a lot during the time when my grandma died.

i love my grandma so much that when she died, i cried a lot. i even woke up in the middle of the night and cried. whenever i feel unhappy now (especially when i quarrel with my husband), i would think of my grandma and how she took care of me when i was a kid. she used to live with my siblings and i when we were babies and until we attended primary school. among all her grandchildren, i was the one who was always near her. i used to watch television at night with her while she was at the same time washing clothes (women washed clothes by hand at that time). she always bought me "egg waffles" (those little round waffles) and sugar cane juice when she took me home from school. i remember once that i lost my way because i mistakenly alighted from the kindergarten school bus at the wrong station. grandma was so worried. and i even wrote a poem on this when i studied in the university.......there are a lot to remember for my dearest grandma, who is now resting in peace in god.

a life lesson from bananas

i went to the supermarket to buy groceries today. i like eating bananas and i eat one every morning. so i have to keep stocks. i usually buy the most common type of bananas. but today, my husband asked me if i would like the "emperor's bananas" -- the short ones -- that we found in the supermarket. i replied that i like any type of bananas. so we chose from the many bunches of emperor's bananas displayed on the rack.

some of them were not ripe. some were ripe but "damaged" and had "cuts" on the skin. my husband kept asking me which one i thought was ok. i replied that there must be defects in some of the bananas as there were more than ten bananas in a bunch. and i quoted a chinese saying, "ten fingers are of different lengths". so we just picked the bunch with the least "damaged" and continued our shopping happily.

i think this also applies to other things we have to handle every day. the bananas have taught us a life lesson!

treat

i had an argument with somebody yesterday. too bad that i am still unhappy today. so i tell myself that i have to treat myself to something good!

first, i went walking in the park nearby. whenever i feel unhappy, i like to walk -- kind of walk briskly as exercise, which people say is good to the heart, lungs, brain, etc. i have walked for 30 minutes. the air was fresh and i could see trees, grass, flowers, birds and that made me feel good. as the wind blew against me, i felt that it was sweeping away the unhappy things from me.

second, i visited page one book shop. i like reading very very very much. and i like smelling the books! there is an aroma of books that i am addicted to! in the past, whenever i opened a book, the first thing i would do was to smell the pages! (i do not do so now cos i am afraid if there are worms!!) so, book shops are a haven for me. i have bought two novels this time. both are movie tie-ins --- the notebook and twisted.

third, i bought cakes. cakes are one of my favourites. i have bought chestnut tart and chocolate mousse cake! yummy!

i have not been good to myself for so long and so i triple my treat at one time!

encouragement

i read many articles saying that encouragement is very important to people that it may change somebody's life. the positive elements can make people transform their old way of thinking and sweep away negative stuff from their mind.

having read both falling leaves and chinese cinderella by adeline yen mah, i can say this is really true. little adeline could survive in her childhood when her stepmother treated her so badly was not because adeline was a strong girl (yes, she might be strong in her character to certain extent but she had a very negative image of herself because of how her dad and stepmother treated her). it was the continuous encouragement from her ye ye (grandpa) and aunt baba that had supported her emotionally throughout not only her childhood but also her life as a grownup. i am so moved as i read a letter written by aunt baba to adeline. the following is an excerpt:

...some day, you will be my age and may wish to speak to me but i may no longer be around. keep in mind always, always, no matter what, that you are worthwhile and very important to me, wherever i may be......whenever you feel discouraged, and those clouds come back, take out this letter and read it again. it is a message from your aunt baba, who will always hold you precious in her heart.....you have defied the odds and garnered triumph through your own efforts. your future is limitless and i shall always be proud of you...

though adeline had suffered so much and faced so many problems when she was growing up, it was the love and encouragement inside her heart that supported her to face those challenges and to tackle the life problems.

take an opportunity to encourage those who are weak! it may change his / her life...

i remember...

i attended a funeral tonight. the father of a friend in church has passed away.

when i sat down in the room where the funeral was held, i remembered my father, who died nearly four years ago. i vividly remember his funeral, in which i represented my family to give a testimony of his converting to christianity when he suffered from cancer.

when i travelled on the bus on my way home after the funeral, i saw familiar buildings. i remember i worked for companies which were inside those buildings. some of these companies have been closed already; some are still there. i remember the scenes when i worked for a particular company. i remember those colleagues and their smiles. i remember their ways of speaking. i remember those days when i enjoyed my work quite a lot.

i also remember friends as the bus passed by some residential buildings. some of them have moved already but some are still living there. i remember i visited some of them and played with their kids. i remember i had dinner with them and had a good chat.

some years in the future, i will still remember...