Obsessed - My Confessions
Lately, I can't stop listening to James Blunt's album Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions. The tracks in this album are live versions of the songs from the man's debut album Back To Bedlam, as well as additional B-side tracks, such as Sugarcoated. There's just something about his voice and the wonderful musicians accompanying him that make the live performances sound very raw, honest and pleasing to the ear.
In this album's version of You're Beautiful, he sings "(she could see from my face that I was) fucking high" instead of the studio's sanitized "flying high". I used to balk and choke on whatever I was eating whenever I heard that line; not that I'm one of those overtly sensitive people who can't stand cussings, but I felt "fucking high" just wasn't necessary and just didn't fit into the overall picture.
After so many repeated listenings, however, I've gotten numb to that line.* * *
One book which I keep on rereading is Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club. Between the pages, I use a calculator user manual (which I never read) as a bookmark, which, over time, skips to the end of the book, and comes back to the front again. The truth is, I'll just open to a random page and start reading. Then when I decide to stop, there the bookmark will reside. And I would read on from there at the next reading, until I reach almost the end of the book; that's when the bookmark will jump to the front again like magic.
It's funny how after the first, tenth, twentieth time of reading the same passages of the Joy Luck family, every single word still remains brand new. Funny how the same lines still make me chuckle. Every line is still fresh at every read, filled with Chinese wisdom and simple themes which are universally relatable. Probably, that explains the best-selling success of this novel. Probably, that's why I can never tire of re-reading it, again and again.
______________
Picture credits: Amazon.com for both Chasing Time and The Joy Luck Club
Topics of interest: James Blunt's Chasing Time | Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
Time is Right
Looking Back at Campus Life
4 comments:
Joy Luck Club!
I have never read it, and have forgotten that I should be looking for it! Saw the film a few times, and thought that it was a good adaptation. Your copy doesn't happen to be electronic, does it?
Ah no. Mine is the "conventional" type with yellowed pages and creased bindings. Lol.
I would prefer that actually...something that one can snuggle in bed with, a box of chocolates on the bedside.
You said it! Plus, your eyes won't ache if you stare at it too long xD
Post a Comment