1BT

I find myself crying at regular intervals while reading this. By the end, I was sobbing like a baby. Yes, I'm sentimental and often have fits of melancholy. But the extent and intensity of the crying took me by surprise. If you haven't read this book by Ann Brashares, you might want to try it. But be sure to have some tissue nearby, just in case.

Prejudice, cupcakes and books

1. I watched a play yesterday that made me think and re-think the issue and nature of prejudice and racism. I appreciated the thought and hard work that went into the writing and execution of the play.
2. A tupperware of carrot cake cupcakes waits for me in the fridge. Thank you to S for being such a generous friend.
3. I picked up the library books I reserved and looking forward to spending the day reading.

The weekend (almost), the boy who lived and new furniture

1. It's Thursday afternoon. The weekend is almost here.
2. Catching the last Harry Potter movie installment was both exhilarating and bittersweet. I can't quite believe that this is the end of Harry. I have an overwhelming urge to read books 1-7 again.
3. I find a coat rack/hat stand that's on sale. It's wood and will look perfect in my room.

2BT

Today, I was in a car accident. My first ever. I wasn't driving but it was scary all the same. It was a pretty bad collision but miraculously, we're all OK. I can't say my life flashed before my eyes but I did think of how easily - and quickly - our lives can be snuffed out. So today, I'm going back to basics with my 3BT.
1) Life. For this one infinitesimal moment in our planet's history, I breathe and am alive.
2) Health. Whatever medical conditions or ailments I've had or still have - and there have been/are a few  - I am relatively healthy. I have my 5 senses, my mental faculties are intact and I can walk. What else is there?

I can't think of a no. 3. I really do feel that Nos. 1 & 2 are the most important and beautiful. Nothing else matters. Not really.

A new love, the flu and beads

1. A black iPad. My new love.
2. I'm slowly but surely recovering from the flu. The cough is still there but it doesn't keep me awake so much at night anymore.
3. The prospect of a package of Keith O'Connor beads arriving in a little over a week. Can't wait to play with them.

Absent but implicit reasons to be happy

It's hard to think about 3BT when you're ill with the flu. Coughing and sneezing and generally feeling miserable has been my lot for the past 2 weeks. But I recently attended a workshop where one of the things we talked about was the 'absent but implicit'. I know I'm miserable because I've known what it is to be happy. So in an attempt to get myself out of this blue funk I'm stuck in, I'm forcing myself to think about the absent but implicit in my life - at least for now.
1) Desserts. Right now they make me cough more. But I love them. Everything from ice-cream to Asian  desserts like cheng teng.
2) Going to the movies. I haven't been to the movies in more than a month. And I've had to miss several free screenings - Green Lantern, X-Men First Class, the funny one with James Franco and Natalic Portman which title I can't quite recall at the moment - which has severely bummed me out. I can't wait till this cough is over so I can go watch the last installment of Harry Potter.
3) Meeting friends. Usually over tea, lunch or dinner. Since the dastardly flu bug hit, I've avoided going out and meeting my friends, several of whom have young children. I would hate to pass on my bug to them. So I'm really looking forward to getting better so I can go have a chat again with my friends - preferably over some peppermint tea and apple date cake.

Rain, ice cream and reading in bed

1. After some fiery hot days, I woke up today to the sound of heavy rain beating on my windows. The cool, grey skies are a welcome change.
2. A post-dinner walk around a mall on Friday led me to a tub of durian (an Asian fruit that's an acquired taste, I hear some people equate the smell of it to that of soiled socks) ice cream. I savoured a scoop of it for dessert this afternoon.
3. Cold, rainy days such as this one are best spent curled up in bed reading. Something I'm doing at the moment. My book of choice? Jasper Fforde's One of our Thursdays is Missing. I highly recommend Fforde. He's a great read, in any weather.