Came across… Quotastic

If you are feeling like that piece of gum on the pavement, try this…

“I am kind of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.” – J D Salinger

Came across… True Love

I was at a casual restaurant with a group of Thai friends to celebrate somebody’s birthday. As usual, I don’t exactly know all of them, just 3 out of the 20 or so.  Thais like big crowds for special occasions. Any friends’ friend or acquaintances are welcome as long as you share the bill by the end of the dinner.

So, here I am, sitting alone barely understanding what they are talking about while the friends I actually know are sitting 5 seats away. The place is very small. I couldn’t just get up and move. Sounds like a dumb idea to attend right? Wrong, because the food and atmosphere were great.

To keep myself occupied while couples cuddled away and new friends introducing themselves to each other, I picked up one of the few English books available on the shelf. By the way, this place is neatly stocked with loads of used books on high shelves against pastel-yellow walls and small low hanging lamps. The room was also adorned with wooden tables and chairs on pale parquet floor. Quite homely. Anyway, I picked up a book by Robert Fulghum – True Love. Since my preferred storytellers are the likes of James Patterson and Dean Koontz, this title would need a desperate situation for me to even read the prologue. The time has come.

The intro goes something like “…true love stories as told by real people.” As I flipped through the pages without much anticipation, I was unknowingly immersed in the many short stories compiled. Most are genuinely touching, some funny while some are simply, familiar. Robert himself wrote,’…love causes pain, love cures pain. And love is a pain.’. How damn true. Then comes,’…falling in love with love instead of a person will pain you and teach you. Sooner or later. Love is an active verb, a river, not a pond.’ Indeed, if I may add, love is a necessity not an option. Be it from your partner, family or friends. Some people think that singleton like me are simply too self absorbed and take love lightly. On the contrary, I think most of us take it too seriously.

In the book, Robert has used his occasional words, without attempting to be a love guru nor inducing goosebumps, to simplify the complications of love. I guess his words can also come in handy the next time your friend comes to you for a post-breakup outpour.

Came across… Ray Kurzweil

Heard of Ray Kurzweil? Not for me until recently. Check this out (click the pic for link).

He is a genius who seems to be able to invent or re-invent things at his will. He happens to be the inventor of modern day flatbed scanner. And guess why did he invent it? Not for the money. Instead it was to complement his other innovations. He has inspired the character behind Al Pacino’s Simone; played doctor to himself when conventional treatment couldn’t cure his diabetes; created several businesses and sold some. The list goes on.

If that doesn’t fascinate you, at least his rare optimism (in this era) on our earth’s future can shed some hope that your next generation may inherit a better place than you thought.

And with a son in Harvard and a daughter in Stanford, it just bring home the fact that you either have it or you don’t. You can’t just aspire or work hard for this kind of ’intelligence’ (as a consolation, I would like to replace the word with ‘ambition’).