The Little Prince / Le Petit Prince

I never imagined in a million years that a whimsical child’s fable could make me feel so downhearted. I can understand why this book was listed as one of the greatest classic. To a child, the fantasy about having a fren from outer-space is so appealing – this book has been used for elementary literature all over the world (err… except M’sia which I don’t quite understand why :p) and to an adult like me, the depth within the simplicity of the story is what captivated me the most.

This is a story about a strange encounter, self-narrated by an aviator, whose plane crashes in the middle of the desert. While stranded there, attempting to fix his plane, he stumbled upon a fine-looking, small prince who claimed to be originally from Asteroid B 612 – a planet no bigger than a house.

Slowly, the aviator learned about the simple life of this little prince whose daily routines involved uprooting the baobabs & sweeping up his 3 volcanoes, how he loves watching sunset whenever he’s sad, and most of all how intensely in love he is with the one and only flower in his planet - the rose.

As the story unfolds, the little prince shared the story of his journey, all the memorable encounters he had with adults from other asteroid and finally how he landed on earth. The main theme of this story is how simple life can be if we see it thru the eye of a child and how we tend to complicate things as we grow older.

This book is somewhat like Alice in Wonderland - on a surface, it’s simple & appealing enough to be read by a child but if you really try to comprehend the meaning behind it, it’s mind-blowing how deep the message can be. I won’t be a spoiler by giving it all out to you, you should read it yourself coz you might have a different interpretation of the story as compared to mine. 

But all I can tell you is, be prepared, you might need a tissue as this story has a bittersweet ending. And you’ll be surprised to learn how a simple tale like this can teach you a lot about life.

My fave quotes from this book: "One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye" (On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux).

The Great Gatsby

I dunno why but I kinda like reading classics off late. Although it made me constantly checking the dictionary ;) but I think the way they word the story, ah, it’s very poetic.

I have to classify this story as love gone wrong ;p Although some might feel that this story depicts the moral decay of rich ppl but I still feel that love game is the main elements of this story.

The story was narrated by this character name Nick Carraway who has a second cousin named Daisy – who’s married to a rich dilettante named Tom (who he also knew from uni time at New Haven).

Tom and Daisy has been married for a few years & even had a daughter together but apparently Daisy kinda found out that Tom has a mistress. Nick, despite being merely acquainted to the couple, soon get involved in the whole fiasco. Tom invited him to hang out with his mistress (a not-so-attractive woman in New York & is still married to someone else) subsequently - which is very awkward considering Daisy is related to him.

From Daisy, Nick was introduced to a female professional golfer named Jordan – whom he later has a relationship with. Jordan informed him that he’s actually living next to a famous rich man called Jay Gatsby, who threw fancy schmancy parties but never showed his face to the crowd.

Gatsby sorta stirred the up-scale society by being so mysterious yet at the same time he knew how to entertain his well-to-do guests thru his lavish parties. So, one day, Nick finally got an invitation & he went with Jordan with the hope that either one of them can find & meet Gatsby personally.

While at the party, Jordan & Nick split up just to locate their mysterious host and eventually a guy, abt Nick’s age, started to talk to him & claimed that they might know each other from the army. As they started talking & Nick discovered that the man is Gatsby. They started to be close fren and from Jordan, Nick learnt that Gatsby & Daisy have a history together before Daisy married Tom.

So, somehow someway, Gatsby asked Nick to reunite her with Daisy & for some reason Nick agreed to do so. One thing led to another, they soon rekindled their romance (yup, with Daisy still married to Tom & Tom still having affair with someone else’s wife *cringe*).

So, la di da… One night Tom, Daisy & Gatsby had a huge confrontation after Tom realized Gatsby’s love for Daisy and it ended with tragedy. I won’t tell you what happen coz it’s quite dramatic how everything ended with Gatsby & Tom’s mistress dead. Phew!

It’s definitely a great read, full of momentum, I'd say – especially for someone who just broke her laptop & has no other means for any sorts of entertainment for the time being ;p sobs!

My fave quote from the book, "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine : I am one of the honest ppl I have ever known." – Nick Carraway.

Lewis Carroll's Alice('s Adventures) in Wonderland...

Alice
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?

I was 10 when I first read Alice by myself – well, the children version of it, of course. But back then I was too fascinated with the idea of a potion that can make ppl shrink & a cake that can make ppl grow so big, bigger than the normal size. And at that young age, nothing is more mind-boggling than the idea of having to swim through your own tears ;p haha! If you know how sad I was as a child then you’ll know how freaky this is to me back then.

So, 4 years went by and I found myself stuck in a rundown all-girls hostel back in my hometown. I was 14, trying to adjust living in a smaller, quiter town and yeah in that rundown hostel. I don’t quite know the ppl there at first so, I often sit & read in the hostel’s library during my free time. For some reason, the first book I picked up was Alice in the Wonderland – the adult or rather the full version of it.

One thing about this book, no matter how many times you read it – yes, it’ll be the same ol’story – but it will somehow gave you different effects & interpretation according to the situation you’re in at that point of time.

As a child, this book really piqued my curiosity & has made me that imaginative little girl that I used to be. Curiouser and curiouser! :)

But as a 14 years old, the same book made me embrace my independence, that it’s actually okay for me to go out alone & have adventures of my own. The weirdness of the surrounding with odd strangers around didn’t scare me at all becoz I knew wherever I go, whatever I do, it'll always gonna be a new, exciting chapter of my life experience.

Then I’ve read Alice again somewhere in 2005, right after graduation. I was in a major crossroad of my life, I didn’t really know what to do with my so-called future at that point of time. There’s a part that I love so much in that book back then, when Alice asked the Cheshire Cat which way to go from there. The Cat replied, “If you do not know where you are going then any road will take you there.” Or that’s the summarized version of the whole conversation, that is ;p But what I’ve learned from this, no matter if you don’t know what to do next in your life, you’re free to try anything coz any road will take you to your ultimate goal, even when it was unknown at that point of time.

Then, I’ve read it again recently while bouncing back from one of the lowest point of my life (closest frens should know abt this very well ;p).
It’s another conversation between Alice & the Cheshire Cat as well. But last time, the words didn’t get through me as effectively as it was later on.

Alice: What sort of ppl live about here?
The Cat: In that direction lives a Hatter, and in that direction lives a March. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.
Alice: But I don’t want to go among mad ppl.
The Cat: Oh, you can’t help that, we’re all mad here. I’m mad, you’re mad.
Alice: How do you know I’m mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn’t have come here.

Alice: And how do you know that you're mad?

The Cat: To begin with, a dog's not mad. You grant that?

Alice: I suppose so.

The Cat: Well then, you see a dog growls when it's angry and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased & wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.

So, moral of the story, we’re all mad in our own way but most ppl nowadays tend to be judgmental towards each other without taking a step back & evaluate their own madness instead ;) lalala~

Anywaiz, read it ppl, you’ll be surprised what sorts of interpretation you’ll get from the same, ever-beloved book. It's a bookful of philosophy and enthralling absurdity but if you carefully decode the inner-meaning of it you can learn so much from it. Else, kalau malas juz wait for the movie, IMHO Johnny Depp makes the most perfect Mad Hatter. Dun you think?

P/S: Fave / over-used phrase:- You gotta be as mad as a Hatter ;)