Cranberry and Books

You know that Christmas is coming when you can smell the sweet scent of Body Shop's Cranberry shimmering lotion three stores down the nearest Body Shop... I remember the first time the Body Shop's Cranberry shimmering lotion was introduced, several christmases ago... P liked it because it reminded him of sweets and candies and I bought a bottle to use in Beijing... Orchard's lights are all lit up, gold this year... and one can almost hear the carols and weirdly for me, the upcoming cny songs. It’s interesting what memories scents and lights alight…

Tomorrow will hopefully be the last day of marking, and I'm half relieved and half sad... kinda like the sense of community and camaderiere we bulit up in our group of marking. Although the compre question I'm marking is one of the harder ones and therefore the slower ones, the laughter we shared and the ready help rendered by each of us makes everything somehow enjoyable. But I'm falling sick thou... so I guess it's a good thing that its finally coming to an end... just in time for the Wushu Judges course that will begin right after on thursday. Looking forward to that as well, we'll finally know how those judges give our kids their marks during the competition.

Despite the stress and backaches and headaches marking gives me... one thing its good for is that the timing is rigid and we cannot bring work home.

So, for the first time in ages.. (in this entire year?).. I find myself reading... read some of the classics which I bought and had been collecting dust on my bookshelf for ages and polished off some trash which I picked up as well..

Read Christopher Bram's Father of Frankenstein and Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day. Just started Bram Stoker's Dracula... I haven't read for so very long that I forgot what it was like to be unable to put a book down and the pure pleasure of letting good prose wash over you... the quiet you feel when you are immersed in the characters and plot and the contentment... I really should be studying for my gre but I tell myself reading these books are also preparation.

But all these books are so sad... and they reveal so many human flaws... which combined with the CSI I've been watching recently all put me in a slightly dark mood... so thank goodness for the cranberry scent in the air.... a cheering scent that reminds me of happy times...

Other happy events include meet up with friends... Met Lin for Notre Dame de Paris the sunday before, a incredible show that I'm watching for the second time. The first time was back in 2002 in Beijing with XP, and the second time round seems to be even better now that I understand the songs and story better and didn't have to switch between the subtitles and set. Glad that she liked the show as well... Also watched Seven Month Itch with Dr. Lin after a delicate dinner at Memoir...

Also caught the "All the Best" collection with my parents at the SAM last sunday... a thought provoking collection... the fairy tale series especially chilling... met my brother after for lunch to celebrate his birthday at this veggie place that he likes.

Met jx for dinner last night too... its always good to see him. Will be meeting Xiaogua tonight for her birthday... and scheduled dates with several other friends too... Another reason why I love the last months of the year... somehow we see alot more of our friends in these months...