What 70 hours of flying bring

I have been staring at this screen for the past 10 minutes. Feels like a writer's block without some fabulous exciting new city to rave about. It is back to the mundane corporate apartment in Times Sq, after a week of world adventures. 16 more days before I leave this country.

Things to do:

1. Work my ass off this week, it's the last week in NY office. Got to keep this job and try get a little bonus.
   
2. See M, as much as possible... who knows what happens after I leave?
3. Hatteras!! Kitesurfing.... now I have to find a way to get M to go too???
4. Save $$$, been blowing too much $$ on air tickets this month. Target... spend $200/week for rest of time here. No more cabs! I even took the subway to-and-fro JFK this trip. Impressive huh??
5. Get my security deposit back

Major accomplishment this week...

Read 3 books: 

1. Oracle Bones by Peter Kissler
2. Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
3. Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper.
   

Heavy stuff, Pei said. Can't bring myself these days to read light fluffy stuff. No, I'm not about to plunge myself into Confucius or some tough stuff. Enjoyed each very much for different reasons. Felt like I got smarter somewhat. 

Oracle Bones.. for the deeper understanding of life in China, past and present, and I barely scratched the surface of the surface! China is such a mystifying beast. I'd hate to grow up there in the past tumultuous century, to deal with all the BS from stupid leaders like Mao Zedong, from Cultural Revolution to Reform and Open etc, whoever survived are either super crafty or plain lucky.

[What a beautiful line, watching the Notebook now and this wonderful line came up: "...Summer romances, they are all the same: they are like shooting stars, a fleeting moment of brightness and brilliance, but in a flash, they are gone..." Made me think of my time with M. It's a last burst of emotions, a passionate farewell to this city of love. Well, hopefully that isn't the case...]

On to the next... Mitch got me bawling on my flight back, so heartfelt and insightful. The book's exactly as the title said... old man Eddie died while saving a girl, and met 5 people in heaven. He had to face his old ghosts, known and unknown, bury old hachets, close old wounds and find his inner peace. Sure the 5 lessons learnt aren't anything rocket science but the book served as a great reminder of important values before it's too late. The part I loved, when he met his wife who he loved very much, in heaven, she died 30 years before him tragically (girls, brace yourselves):

"...Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it...."

Luckily the Japanese men around me were snoring like pigs, no one to see my streaming tears. Such a softy, I am.

Thirdly, Anderson Cooper. It was surprisingly, a very sad book. I was expecting Anderson to give political analysis of global tragedies. But no... it was Anderson-bare-it-all. I think many times, we watch CNN, and think, what a fortunate guy Anderson is. To be part of the Vanderbilt bloodline and wealth, ability to pursue his dreams without any care for money. Little did I know, his dad was just a regular southern Joe, made a name for himself from nothing in the media circuit, met his mum at a dinner party and got married. By the time Anderson was 10, his dad passed away from an unsuccessful heart bypass, life was never the same and 8 years later, Anderson's brother, Carter jumped off his balcony in front of their mum. [OMG!!!] Since then, Anderson has been seeking solace from escapism, running around finding tragedies/extremes, to avoid facing the ghosts in his life. I felt so sad after reading his book... imagine, hoping from warzone to warzone, facing constant death/tragedies, I doubt I have the personal strength to go on after that.

Hmm.. this wasn't meant to be a book review session. But I felt so touched by each book and had to ramble. Next up on my booklist: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. Now that's serious stuff.

Let's see how long I take to finish this one.

Awwww... now Noel is rowing his childhoot sweetheart Allie through this remote lake filled with white ducks....... so beeeeauuuutttiiifulll. I also want......

Alright... time to face Monday... good night all!