'Paracosm', Arina

Rating: 6/10

Overall Thoughts

A book which highlights feelings of isolation, discrimination, and growing up being seen but not heard, 'Paracosm' is an honest, original and whimsical compilation of poetry and personal thoughts. 

Through her writing, the young poet beautifully describes her complex and heartfelt relationship with her surroundings and happenings of the world.  The beautiful visual art contained in the book is also something to admire and appreciate. 

***

After doing some research on the author, it was brought to my attention that the proceeds of sales from 'Paracosm' will be channeled to the Tun Suffian Foundation which awards scholarships to underprivileged high achievers in local and foreign universities.  The author has a wonderful cause to serve, so grab a copy of this book to show some support!

Favourites from 'Paracosm'

Crowns

Perhaps the crown I wear 

Is a little old fashioned. 

With withered silver leaves

And wilted gold lilies

There are no diamonds

Or rubies.  

While others wear

A crown of garnets

And jewels

Mine is an antique

Of ancient legend

With the stories of my ancestors

Now leaving me

To find my own story.  

Because I am the ink

On these pages

And the inspiration 

Of my own legend. 

......

Failure

Without failure, you are no hero.

......

Dignity

Let others admire your beauty

as you preserve your dignity.

......

The Descendants of Tradition

For who we are

The ungrateful offsprings

Of our deceitful ancestors

Are we condemned

To follow their traditions and ways?

A narrow river

Has a shallow floor

A deep ocean

Will offer wonders which you must explore.  

Because those you descend from the Sun

That does not make you a star

You choose your natural state

And be who you are.  

......

Listening Ear

I cannot talk to anyone

because no one wants to listen, 

nobody knows anything about me.  

......

Open Colours

Why do you see the surface

But not what is within

Your eyes are unfair judges

They are mirrors filled with sin

Dark colours displease them

Dark colours and strange religions

No cloud is the same shape

No garden has the same flowers

Yet they glow with beauty

They glow with pride

Beneath the skin

Same structures of bone 

No matter who tries to destroy you

Know

That you will never fight alone.  

......

Genesis

Manners make a man

But passion makes a woman.

......

Windows to the Soul

The eyes are windows to the soul

Showing expression

None would have known.  

They can be dark

They can be light

The dark to immortalise beauty

The light to soothe the soul of another.  

The cheeks, soft and white

Tinted rosy

Smooth gleaming light.  

The lips

To touch another's

Expressing eternal love

Red as blood

Curved like cupid's bow.  

Then the beauty curve

The frames the pearl teeth

A beautiful red curve

That is the finishing touch

Of every art.  

......

Fire and Flame

The sirens will tell their children

Of the legendary girl

Who was once not more than a slave

Now 

Her name is known by the world.  

She was enslaved by her own fate

Growing in the poverty of compassion

Lost in a labyrinth of trepidation.  

As her heart grew

So did her beauty

For her eyes were compasses

And her mind was the galaxies.  

Powers of ice and flame embraced her

She was the religion of the mountains

A leader of gold and silver.  

And all genuflected to her

As she walked with pride and elegance

A hero has come

They praised

And she need not be born

Of fire and flame.  

......

Unbearable

No one can feel how heavy my heart is, 

how each beat makes it more unbearable.  

......

Individual Deeds

Sometimes the world is saved by only one good heart, 

not a million strong arms.  

'Questions to Our Answers', Timothy Joshua

Rating: 8/10

Overall Thoughts

Overjoyed to have stumbled upon this beautiful book written by a talented Singaporean.  Definitely exceeded my expectations.  Perfect read on a rainy day with a cup of coffee/tea. 

FYI: Pretty sure I'm not the only reader who has noticed this, but there is a typo on page 150 of the book (and it's really bugging me).  

Favourites from 'Questions to Our Answers'

First

The day we first met each other, 

I couldn't help but feel

like it was intended, 

like we were destined, 

to collide

like waves must meet the shore, 

and rain must fall on the Earth - 

we could't help but fall

for each other, 

the day we first met.  

......

Knowing You

See, the difference lies in the fact

that some people think

they know you well enough

moments after you've just met, 

as if it was like the movies.  

But I've never stopped wishing

that I could know you better, 

the moment our eyes met.  

Instead of being a movie that ends, 

it is like an endless trilogy of books.  

I keep wanting to read more, 

page by page until the very end - 

knowing that books were always 

better than their movies, 

and so was knowing you.  

......

Fallen

I don't blame you for falling for someone else, 

I always knew that I wouldn't be enough, 

but I just never expected

that you could forget me so quickly.  

I had barely fallen for you, 

and you were gone

before I could even get back on my feet.  

......

Shooting Star

You are a shooting star.  

I saw you from afar,

cutting across my sky, 

a spectacle, 

blazing bright, 

in the darkness of the night.  

I made a wish, 

hopeful, 

that it could all be true; 

that I could soar alongside you, 

incandescent and alight in the sky.  

But you soon disappeared, 

as quickly as you came, 

as it became clear, 

that you were here, 

but barely here.  

I wasn't wishing, 

I was dreaming, 

and you, 

you, 

are miles and miles away; 

only a shooting star, 

only a hopeful wish.  

If only, you could stay.  

......

The Mathematician

If only we lived in a world without numbers, 

then I won't remember the number of times I've missed you, 

and I won't need to count the days till we meet again.  

Then perhaps, 

I could be your only one, 

the one holding your undivided attention, 

the one accompanying your countless memories.  

The only one you can''t subtract away

in a life filled with far too many numbers.  

......

Ocean Eyes

You drown because

you have always loved too deeply

without learning how to swim, 

and each wave, 

each wave goodbye, 

breaks you, 

as it breaks the shore.  

All that's left of you, 

are tears, 

and your pieces, 

as he leaves with the tide.  

......

Starlight

The light in your eyes

captures all the starlight in our universe.  

And so, I live within; 

an insignificant speck in your eyes.  

......

A Matter of Timing

Barely breathing, 

hardly thinking. 

rarely looking, 

clearly crying.  

I glance at my watch, 

car whizz, 

crowds shift, 

heart beats, 

hope fades, 

I am reaching, 

as you 

leave.  

......

Gravity

I cannot explain

this sense of deep attraction

towards you.  

It is some sort of uncontrollable force, 

inexplicably tying our destinies together.  

Like gravity, we fall towards one another.  

We fall, for one another.  

......

Your Name Here

Your name is a whisper, 

a slight yet painful echo in my ear, 

yet a screaming voice in my head, 

and a resonance of days past.  

It is but a dark secret between my lips, 

a cyanide pill twisted in the tongue, 

the poison I refuse to swallow, 

and yet I know, I must, 

for you, are not here, 

and your name is not mine to say.  

......

The Ring

"Why do you still wear that ring? He is gone." 

He is gone, but he is still here, 

wearing down my skin.  

He is still here, 

wearing the darkest rings on my eyes.  

So yes, I still wear this ring, 

because the truth is, 

what has been, 

will always be here.  

But I will remove it, 

someday, 

when I finally come full circle

and the darkest part of me

is ready to let go

the darkest part of me.  

......

First

It is never easy to understand someone like me.  

But in the end, I wish you would still try.  

I wish you would still try to read me, 

as if I were your first book.  

......

Mathematics

We are simultaneous equations, 

different, 

yet when put together, 

we equate to something more, 

something better than these variables life has given us.  

But the biggest question, 

is if all these Xs and Ys we add or subtract

can ever solve the problem

that we are never the same, 

and that, perhaps, 

we will never feel the same about each other.  

......

The Artist of My Heart

What is love?

I don't know.  I don't think I understand what love truly is, 

nor do I think that anybody can.  It comes in so many shapes

and sizes.  But I do know that somehow, you draw me in.  You

form the lines that shape my boundaries and knowledge of

love.  You define what love means to me, every single day, 

and you colour it with different shades - it brightens when 

you smile, and it darkens when you frown.  And each time, 

when I look into your eyes, I know I don't understand love

still, but I do know, that I am, in fact, deeply in love with you.  

For you, you are the artist of my heart.  

......

Concrete Walls

Though we sit here together

we sit divided

by invisible walls between us, 

as our hopes rebound against them.  

Nothing gets through, 

as I reach my hand out to you, 

I feel the coldness of cement.  

I can feel your walls, 

but I cannot enter.  

I can almost feel the dried tears in your eyes, 

amidst the broken gravels of your heart, 

but I cannot reach out to you.  

Your heart is now concrete.  

......

The Reason to Live

At the end of the day, you have worked so hard, but for

whom and for what?  You question yourself about exactly

what you have been fighting or living for.  You begin to 

hope that there would be someone who cares for you, but

the truth is that there may or may not be anyone.  The only

person you know is going to be there, is yourself.  Trust

yourself.  Love yourself.  And if you are ever so lucky to one

day find someone who loves you and cares for you as much 

at the end of the day, then my God are you blessed.  Hold

on tight, and never let go.  

You now have another reason to live.  

'O's Little Guide to Starting Over', The Editors of O, The Oprah Magazine

Rating: 5/10

Overall Thoughts

A compilation of inspirational short essays.  Perfect quick read for those who are breaking free, rising above and making their way forward.  This book doesn't actually provide guidelines or tips on starting over, rather the writers share their personal struggles and experience on starting back at square one. 

Just like the saying goes, "when one door closes another opens", this book serves as a reminder that what may feel like the end is often just the beginning.  Change is a challenge, but it can also be freeing and healing. 

Favourites From 'O's Little Guide to Starting Over'

Letting Go

• Check in with yourself: Does your life feel meaningful and on-purpose at this moment?  If the answer is yes, your energy is invested in living your best life.  But to the extent that you feel misery, your energy is asking to be reinvested.  Misery literally means "the feeling of being a miser."  If you're miserable, stop hoarding your life energy.  Make a choice, any choice.  If you're still miserable, you can choose again.  Eventually, you'll see that all misery is simply life asking you to trade your current course of action - or inaction - for something purposeful and true.  

Lost and Found

• With change, there is grief for what has been lost, but also opportunity - and the choice of how to see it.  Choose wonderful.  
• The primary difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that the successful people fail more.  If you see failure as a monster stalking you, or one that has already ruined your life, take another look.  That monster can become a benevolent teacher, opening your mind to successes you cannot now imagine.  
• The reality is, we are bound to fail.  By refusing to accept this, we only make things worse.  Conversely, if we own our failure openly, publicly, with genuine regret but absolutely no shame, we reap a harvest of forgiveness, trust, respect, and connection - the things we thought we'd get by succeeding.  

A New Day

• You write down each and every stressful thought, and then ask yourself four questions about it: (1) Is it true? (2) Can I absolutely know it's true? (3) How do I react when I believe this thought? (4) Who would I be without the thought?
• All the pain in the world is not going to take happiness and peace away from you.  If anybody can make you angry, you are the loser.  If anyone can steal your happiness, peace, away from you, you are the loser. 

Matters of the Heart

• Death is the ultimate destination, no matter which way I steer.  And I want to live my days worth dying for.  

Ends and Beginnings 

• Unexpected gifts are given when the heart stays open.  
• If you go out there knowing you're going to rock it, you will.  But if you go out there afraid you'll get hurt, you will.  
• However awful the storm of my disappointment, it's a response that belongs to me.  It's my heart, after all.  My territory, my kingdom.  And since I'm the only one with the authority to surrender it, I can also take it back.  The retraction is painful, of course, but it comes in handy when yearning for the wrong someone.  
• I have always held on so tight: to the loss, to the lover, to the love.  But now I saw that grasping - even of dearly held beliefs - causes us and others needless pain.  Everything is constantly flowing and changing.  Nothing and no one lasts.  The best gift we can give ourselves and those we love is to let them be part of the nature of things: the raging river, the growing child, the dying light. 

'A Beautiful Composition of Broken', r.h. Sin

Rating: 9/10

Overall Thoughts

This book is the embodiment of all the pain, sadness and sorrow of people who have been mistreated, misunderstood and are currently going through a breakup.  The author's words will make you feel all sorts of emotions.  His words will dig up all the pain that you've attempted to bury deep within your heart, and comfort you with words of encouragement and self-love.

Thank you to my friends who gifted this wonderful book to me.  This book has now become my bible.  This book has lifted my spirits and I am no longer broken xx.

Favourites from 'A Beautiful Composition of Broken'

everything 7:22.

she is both complex

and easy to love

......

mid-December lesson.

not everyone you love

deserves your patience

not everyone you love

deserves your fight

not everyone you love

deserves your heart

not everyone you love

understands that love

......

the sorrow.

there's nothing more confusing

and painful to a woman

than being told that she's amazing

by a man who treats her like

she's not good enough to commit to

and the saddest part of it all 

is that this woman 

will fight to prove her value

to the one man

who doesn't even deserve her

......

the thought.

i like to think 

that all the pain

and heartache

is simply preparing me 

for a love that heals

......

the further.

you went missing

when i longed for you the most

while my heart didn't grow fonder

my mind grew further

how quickly i went from sadness

to feeling nothing at all

......

the return.

i should hate you

but even then 

that would be way more

than you actually deserve

and so i'll give you nothing 

to match the nothing 

you gave me in return

......

truly.

a man who truly loves you

chooses you every day

he chooses you forever

......

always after midnight.

i'm left rereading old messages

sitting beneath the rubble 

of everything we used to be

haunted, near the moon

by everything we didn't become

......

no solutions.

i wanted to try

i was willing to fight for this

you wanted a way out

you never cared as much as me

......

all the tales we tell.

incapable of facing the painful reality

of a love that's been lost

we lie in the form of false memories

re-creating disaster and chaos

into beautiful moments

that never happened

......

sick day.

give your soul a break

if you're tired of being hurt

just rest awhile

......

March 17th IV.

you're always trying

but who tries for you

you're always fighting

but who fights for you

i hate this idea of everything 

falling upon the shoulders 

of a woman 

while she's in a relationship 

with a man who makes no effort

i hate this idea of a woman 

feeling alone while being

in a relationship

......

cost of communication.

know your worth

and never communicate

reply or respond to anyone

who can't afford to speak to you

or with you

......

8:32.

too often the heart

finds a way to love

the ones who will never

love it back

......

a void.

i felt like a bookstore

with no books on its shelves

a profound emptiness

in my soul

......

knowing you.

who are you when no one is watching

can i trust that person to remain loyal

without my watchful eyes

who are you when my back is turned

can i trust that person to be honest

in my absence

......

further from truth.

amazing isn't it

the way that every lie that gets told

contains just enough truth to seem believable 

but not enough truth to be true

......

ability.

she has the patience to stay

and the strength to move on

......

withdrawn but progressive.

i'm constantly evolving 

i just wish you were involved

and a part of this change

i've been doing this without you

but i'm fine

......

lower.

understand that a woman's love

is something that runs deep

if you're not ready and willing

to reach her depths

don't attempt the dive

don't waste her time

......

when together.

touch her in a way that no one

has done before

stimulate her entire mind

with an abundance of words

and leave an imprint upon her soul

create a long-lasting memory

and become something she'll

never forget

a lasting impression is what 

you should always aim for

appreciate all that she is

and all that she's willing to offer

it's what she deserves

......

to the root.

and they wonder why

you have trust issues

or act as if you don't 

give a fuck

the way you are

the way you love

is a product

of being taken

for granted

......

finis.

it all falls on me

the weight of it all

crushing my spirit

like bone melting iron

i'm breaking down

collapsing completely into

myself

until there's nothing left

but regret

of trying so hard

for someone who couldn't 

try for me

i'm done

......

i feel both entirely.

i am both happy and sad

i feel weak but i am strong

i am broken but i'll be whole

there is hope within pain

there is hope after heartache

and i've felt both of everything

i know that it gets better

......

a refusal, a strength.

i'm finding more of myself

in my journey towards peace

learning to let go of the anger

that once plagued my soul

and altered the direction

of most of my days

i'm finding my voice

beneath the heaviness

of the pain that once caused me

to shut down

refusing to remain silent

about the things that broke me

i refuse to be a prisoner of heartache

......

clarity in mourning.

i tried

you didn't

i loved 

you refused

it was me

and never you

it was you

not wanting me

stuck, searching for you

when all i needed was myself

......

from it, stronger.

the pain will bring you strength

the heartache will give you purpose

......

become it.

the only one worthy of you

is you

in this moment

you only need yourself

become the love

that they refused to share with you

......

read, lover.

books stained with the tears

of the reader with the broken heart

books held tight

like lovers in the dark

sometimes all you have are the words

sometimes all that's left

are the books

......

strangers again, again.

we started as strangers

we ended that way

sometimes the beginning

is the same as the ending

......

potion.

she refused to be anyone's cup of tea

she was more so the finest glass of whiskey

......

January 7th, 8:49p.m.

before i get the chance

to place my hands on your skin

i'd first like the opportunity

for our souls to collide

our minds to be fully stimulated

and our hearts to be in sync

this is the way i'd like to love you

......

January 10th.

this craving to explore

the unfamiliar places within you

has overtaken my mind

i'd like to get lost in you

i'd like the opportunity

to make you feel things

you've never felt for anyone else

......

the slow burning of regret.

i hope the memory of me

burns through your mind

and in times of desperation

i hope you reach for me

then realize that i can no longer

be found

you'll feel what i felt

you'll sit with your face

in your hands

and your heart on the floor

because you lost the greatest thing

to ever happen to you
me...

......

steel curtain.
protect your energy
understand that not everyone
who wants you
deserves you

protect your peace of mind
understand that most people
don't even deserve to be a thought

......

higher up.
you belong to the night
next to the brightest stars
in sync with the moon
above the earth

......

our ending, new beginnings.
i'll be the one
you couldn't keep
i'll be the memory
that hurts the most
i'll be the greatest loss
in your life
i'll be the one
you'll never be able
to come back to

all because i love me more
than you ever could

......

never, nowhere.
if you missed me
you'd show up
if you missed me
you'd be here

......

more than stars.
while the stars
compete for the moon's attention
she is the only light
that i search for in darkness

......

6:29:10.
my mind
a museum of madness
my heart
a museum of pain

'Act Like A Success Think Like A Success', Steve Harvey

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Thoughts

We all may know Steve Harvey as a comedian or the host of Family Feud and Little Big Shots.  He has achieved a lot in his lifetime and earned his very own Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  What most of us don't know is the struggle and setbacks that he had to face and encounter in order to be where he is today.

In 'Act Like a Success Think Like a Success', Steve Harvey shares his personal experiences and failures in life.  He offers words of encouragement to readers to embrace and harness your personal gift as a stepping stone to transforming your life.  While most of the advise and information being provided in this book is not relatively new, it does put everything into perspective.  By the end of this book, you will be inspired and motivated.


Brief Summary of 'Act Like a Success Think Like a Success'

Chapter 1: "I'm Tired of Myself"

• Stop making excuses.  Be honest with yourself.  Stop comparing yourself to others.  
• We become our own opposition when we accept the following: procrastinating, lying to ourselves, comparing ourselves to others, and having self-doubts - in short, anything that gets in the way of becoming who we were created to be.  
• Practice learning how to speak about success with experts who are fluent in the language of success.  
• You can clearly see your dream, but you are wasting time overthinking the unknown or talking to people who don't understand your aspirations.  

Chapter 2: Fear and Failure

• When you face your fears, they aren't as big as you thought they were.  What makes them big is when you don't turn around to face them head-on.  The longer you avoid your fears, the bigger they grow in your mind.  
• You have to learn to convince yourself that the possibility is greater than the inevitability of doing nothing.  
• Failure is part of the process when you are on the road to success.  The only way to get back on track is to come up with another plan.  
• Employers wants someone who is experienced with failure, has learned from it, and can get the job done.  Failure is not here to defeat you, but to give you the power to gain those life experiences that you can come back to and learn from again and again.  
• The key to our opportunities lies in our decisions.  In order to get the opportunities you want, you have to make the decision to change.  

Chapter 3: Take the Lid Off the Jar

• Don't get caught in that trap of comparing yourself to someone else.  Release yourself from excuses and limitations.  

Chapter 4: The Dash Between Perishing and Sacrificing for Your Dream

• Any negative trait that derails you from your dreams will not get the job done.  Negativity can never be the fuel that drives your gift.  
• If you are the smartest person in the group, you need to get a new group.  You cannot be a person who knows it all and can't be told anything, because it will stifle your creativity as well as the creativity around you.  
• When you are really living in your gift, you just know it.  When you are doing what you are meant to be doing, you can just feel it.  When the right opportunity comes along, you won't have to force it.  
• We think that motivation comes from somewhere else, but our greatest motivation is inside of us.  The only difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people know what their gift is and how to focus on it at all costs.  

Chapter 5: Not What You Are Paid For, but What You Were Made For

• Your gift is not your talents.  Talents can be learned while a gift is inherent.  

Chapter 6: Knowing Your Gift and Putting It into the Right Vehicle

• Once you uncover your gift, find that distinctive touch that will make your gift stand out and shine.  
• Don't ever be afraid to put yourself in a position so that you can learn something from someone who knows more.  No one can teach you more than someone who has already been there.  

Chapter 7: Understanding the Makeup of You

• Be the kind of person who attracts rather than repels others.  You have to be easy to work with, or at least be willing to create the atmosphere that makes it easy to work with you.  
• Recognize your shortcomings and be willing to improve on them.  
• Be a person of integrity.  Be honorable and reliable by doing what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it.  
• Learn how to be open.  

Chapter 8: Climbing the Mountain to Reach Your Dreams

• Goals are the key ingredient that helps us stay focused, consistent, and diligent on our path to achieving our dreams.  
• Make big goals, but don't make them so far outside your comfort zone that you set yourself up for failure.  
• Your goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive.  

Chapter 9: You Have to See It to Believe It

• Identify what you want to accomplish.  Create a vision board to make sure it motivates and inspires you to achieve your dreams.  

Chapter 10: Man on a Rope

• God has already lined up all the people in your path to get you to your dreams and your visions; all you have to do is get rid of the wrong ones.  
• When you choose someone to model, they should have a track record of success.  The role model should show a commitment to providing direction to others.  
• Let go of people who are only around for their personal benefit.  
• Avoid people who are always having a bad day.  In their minds, nothing ever works in their favor.  This kind of negativity depletes enthusiasm.  
• Distance yourself from those who have to be right all the time.  
• Procrastinators will weigh you down.  Action is the prescription for moving forward.  Procrastinators are going nowhere.  Do not let them impede your journey to success.  
• You should be living your life surrounded by people who are like-minded, service-oriented, and grateful, people who are trying to accomplish things, and who bring something to the table.  

Chapter 11: There Is No Self-Made Man

• Keep your eyes open for like-minded people, for others who are on the same wavelength as you.  
• Asking for what you want gives you a better chance of getting it than not asking.  
• There is no shame in not knowing something, in not having something, or in wanting or needing something.  So much of what will determine the difference between a good life and a great life is an ask away.  
• 6 principles to help you get what you want: (1) know your worth; (2) recognize what you deserve; (3) get specific; (4) don't assume anything; (5) communicate your values; (6) recognize that "no" is not a rejection.  

Chapter 12: Tale of the Tape

• Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is important because you need to learn how to maximize your wins and minimize your losses.  
• Manage your strengths and improve your weaknesses.  
• If you don't develop other strengths, your enemies will always know what choices you will make.  Switch things up, learn and master other skills, and apply them strategically so that you can stay ahead of the marketplace and your industry.  
• Weaknesses are only a detriment if you allow them to be.  Create partnerships with people whose strength is your weakness.  Learn from them and build that area so that you can grow stronger.  

Chapter 13: Never Be Afraid to Reinvent Yourself

• Change comes in every person's life.  You can either react to it or you can participate in it.  The more willing you are to accept change and to be a part of change, the more successful you will become.  
• We cannot allow small-mindedness to interfere with our rewards.  Step outside your comfort zone and try something new, something adventuresome, when utilizing your gift.  

Chapter 14: The Power of No

• Being able to say no will help you become confident in setting personal standards, as well as being comfortable setting boundaries, both of which are critical in your journey towards success.  
• Saying no allows you to use your gift and power in the right place at the right time for the right purpose.  Stop giving your gift to those who want to use you for the development of their legacy, at the cost of yours.  

Chapter 15: Healing Your Haters Through Success

• A hater's goal is to impede your progress, and the moment you stop to address them, you have helped them accomplish it.  You cannot afford to spend a single day engaging with that kind of energy.  
• The opposition has no power over you, unless you give it to them.  
• Negativity can show up as any pessimistic, critical, or harmful energy that takes you off your path toward success.  If you are not careful, not only will that negative energy take you off track, but it will in fact consume you.  

Chapter 16: Life's Magical Balance

• Home + Health + Finances = Success

Chapter 17: God Blesses You to Become a Blesser

• The more people you help become successful, the more successful you become.  We are all here to help one another.  
• When you understand how powerful giving is, you will have more to give.  
• Become one of those people who are willing to share, educate, gift, help, inspire, lead and push. 

'Sad Girls', Lang Leav

Rating: 6/10

Overall Thoughts

Having read all of Lang Leav's previous works, I was exceptionally excited to get my hands on a copy of her first novel.  When I heard that the title was going to be 'Sad Girls', my first impression was that the novel is going to be dark, tragic and emotional.  Well, needless to say, I was wrong about the dark and tragic part.  Just like every other teenage novel, 'Sad Girls' is essentially about a girl (Audrey) falling deeply in love with a boy (Rad) whom she knows is wrong for her but being a stubborn teenager like we all once were, she can't seem to be apart from him.  

The story revolves around a lie that Audrey told which led to Ana's death.  The lie soon became a weight on her shoulders that was too heavy for her to carry and Audrey started having panic attacks.  Despite having a loving boyfriend (Duck) who saved her life and is basically perfect in terms of having a goal and vision in life, Audrey finds herself attracted to Rad who turns out to be *drumroll* the dead girl's boyfriend.  

Whilst the novel may not be Lang Leav's best work, it is well-written and an easy read.  The most interesting part would be the unexpected twist at the last twenty pages of the book.  

Favourite Quotes from 'Sad Girls'

"Black is a shade - one that holds its presence in every gradation of gray, departing only with its transition into white.  I have always thought of white as a clean slate, an unwritten page.  A snow-covered field or a wedding dress.  White is starting over, an absolution from your sins.  That day, I was the furthest away from white that I could possibly be." 

"A flash of guilt opened me up like a fresh, gaping wound."  

"His voice was like a lullaby, and I could feel my eyelids growing heavy."  

"Your first love isn't the first person you give your heart to - it's the first one who breaks it."  

"Once you cross over, you can't go back.  It never goes away completely.  You just get better at dealing with it."  

"Then just as swiftly as he appeared in my life, he was gone."  

"I stood there for a long time in the dying light, a dull thudding in my chest and the feeling I was more alone than I had ever been."  

"He looked as though he wanted to kiss me, and I was readying myself.  But then he looked away, and the spell was broken." 

"I used to think people were like lighthouses.  That they were there to protect you.  But they're not.  People are like whirlpools.  They pull you in; they drag you under.  You have to work so hard just to keep your head above water."  

'Midnight Monologues: Poems and Short Stories', Charissa Ong T.Y.

Rating: 7/10

Overall Thoughts

Categorized into four parts: Lost, Found, Hope, and Short Stories, 'Midnight Monologues' is a book that majority of us can and will relate to at some point in our lives, especially if you are currently going though a break up.  

Being in her twenties, the author is unquestionably gifted to be able to write so effortlessly and with such poetic melody.  Extra brownie points for being a Malaysian.  

Perfect read during a rainy day with a cup of coffee (or tea).  

Favourites from 'Lost'

"I never understood the gravity of the problem, 

Until you fell for another solution."

......

"Leave me alone; I need to think about us.  

Leave me alone; I need to think.  

Leave me alone.  

Leave me.  

Leave."

......

"Your taste in men had me salty, 

And the salt of my tears, mixes with the bitterness of reality.  

Your quickness of loving another had me bitter, 

Well, clearly I should have known better.  

My many lonely hours had me sour, 

And the things I did to forget you, 

I couldn't feel any lower.  

However, 

Every night before my mind falls asleep, 

My eyes recognize your colors once more - 

My tongue remembers the sweetness of your lips, 

As I relished what's left of what we had before." 

......

'They told her that they were not worth her perfection, 

And that she should search for a mind that matches her own, 

With that on every man's thoughts and reflections, 

The imperfectly perfect girl was left perfectly alone."  

......

"So, have you worked it out yet?"

"We are definitely on the same page, 

if only we were holding the same books." 

......

"Liking him is never tough, 

It isn't hard when he has his laugh.  

She'll see him again tonight at dinner, 

Anything, 

To see his smile again on this stranger.  

And she'd think that this love would never die, 

When all she loves are his familiar eyes.  

"He's just my type," she lies to her family members, 

For there was no type but t'was a man that he resembles.  

She knew he was the closest that she could get, 

To the man she could never forget.  

"He would never be him," she broods, 

With a sigh, "But I guess he'll do." " 

Favourites from 'Found'

"Looking through the windows of my soul was unsatisfactory, 

So you bulldozed the walls I've built to keep you out, 

Indefinitely.  

You burrowed into my life with curiosity and caution, 

And found my most valuable possession, my devotion." 

......

The truth in you eyes conquered every single lie in mine." 

......

"Hold my face in your hands - 

and tell me that you love me, 

And I'll hold your world in mine, 

ridding its risk of ever crumbling.  

Favourites from 'Hope'

"Love 

For 

Trouble 

Causes 

Hate

- 

Hate

Causes

Trouble 

For

Love"

......

"Improve," breathes my inner voice; 

"Be the chooser, and never the choice." 

......

"Sharp minds deflate impossible egos."

......

"I will engulf you with a light so bright, 

you will never know your shadow again."

......

"There are those who love themselves and only themselves, 

And then there are those who love everyone else but themselves.  

With one so selfish and the other so helpless, 

I am sure there is a way to solve this imbalance.  

These two could learn a lot from each other, 

If one deposits love and one humbles the other, 

This world would finally have a proud human race, 

If we only knew where to love in the first place."