Damaged

I bought Damaged many years ago but had never gotten around to reading it. 

A couple of days ago, I was cleaning my bookshelves and it was there, still waiting to be read. I placed it into my bag so that I could read it on the train the next morning.  

I couldn't put the book down once I started. I finished the book within 2 days.

Damaged is a true story about a girl, Jodie, whose world was unbelievably messed up by the people who were supposed to protect and love her; her parents. 

Cathy Glass is a foster carer, and Jodie was an almost-eight-year-old girl who was placed under her care. Jodie was extremely difficult in the beginning (think using poo-smearing as a threat), and took on such threatening, scary behaviour that I seriously thought Jodie had to be possessed by an evil spirit. However, as time passed, Cathay uncovered Jodie's painful and absurd past. 

She was her parents' and their friends' sexual toy. 

It was painful to read the abuse of such a young child. Not only was Jodie's learning ability comprised, she also switched between personalities to protect herself, unknowingly. 

As Jodie divulged more, she began to spiral out of control mentally. She was eventually sent to an institution to get better. 

I was very keen to know how Jodie turned out in the end. I really didn't want a sad ending, or not knowing how Jodie's story ended. Glass provided a closure thankfully. While Jodie never made a full recovery due to the extensive damage caused when she was young, she did become better. It kind of made things better for me, as a very-emotionally-involved reader. There was something sweet at the end. Read to find out.

For such a gloomy subject, the story unfolded in a rather fast pace. This made the read refreshing despite the depressing material.

If you think you have it tough, read this book. 

Surprisingly, Singapore National Library does not seem to carry this book  (at the time when I was preparing the post) though it carries Glass's other titles. 

Check out the book at Book Depository or Amazon. Don't forget to take the shipping cost into consideration!

Five Days Left

Twenty minutes into “Five Days Left”, I dissolved into tears.

There's no mystery or thrill. This book tells the story of two persons' journey to their intended final destination. 

Five Days Left is a story about Mara and Scott, two cyber friends who knew each other only by their nicknames. Their common thread was a parenting forum.

Mara had Huntington disease. Not long after she was diagnosed, and knew how the disease would bring her down, she started planning her departure. A departure by choice and on her own terms. She did not want to burden her husband and neither did she want to embarrass her young adopted daughter when the disease was in the advance stage. She was now five days away from her birthday.

Scott had all the right “ingredients” of the perfect father, except he was yet a father. He was a teacher by profession, and a saviour by heart. He volunteered to foster the younger brother of a student once his, when their mother was locked away for drugs. His wife was pregnant with their first child and they were three months away from welcoming their firstborn. The wife sympathised with Scott when Little Man, as Scott had called him, was scheduled to return to his mother after her release. But she was also insistent on forming a family of their own blood lineage.

Five Days Left is a great book for people, especially females, who want to curl up in the bed over a long weekend with a reason to be emotional, however though you might be happy with your life! 

Hover over the bold, italicised title for a sample read of Five Days Left.

Julie Lawson Timmer , a lawyer by profession, is a first-time author. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Mara is a lawyer by profession. Timmer reminded me of Jodi Picoult, but just a tad less heavy.

Her second book, Untethered, is coming out in June 2016.

Looking forward to another good read!

Both books are available on Amazon and Book Depository:

• Five Days Left: Amazon & Book Depository
• Untethered: Amazon & Book Depository

Remember to take the shipping costs into consideration!

Enjoy!

Onwards

I love Starbucks even though I am not a coffee fan. So when I saw the new book, Onward, I just picked it up and paid for it. 

I know there are people who would go for a kopitiam's coffee anytime, and proclaim Starbucks's coffee is overpriced etc. I do not even drink coffee, what do I know, right?

I like the coffee smell that engulfs me when I step into a Starbucks cafe. I like the design of the cafe and I like the environment. 

Yup, I know, very superficial stuff. So what? I think I am am allow to indulge in small luxury like this... hmmm.. right? 

There are reasons why I like Starbucks as a company first. 

Many years ago, when I was looking for a job, I went to Starbucks for an operational post. Similar experience per the prior job, but different product. I was asked to work for a day in one of their stores. I was glad to find everything is pretty much similar in terms of operations. But guess what I like best? I came to know that if I think I am ready for a promotion, besides the recommendation from the superior, I could actually recommend myself and ask to be tested! 

People who have worked for a while know much as we want a perfect environment where we hope the immediate superior is most willing to teach and fair person, it is not easy to find one. I have only met one such person in my 20 years. While the system did had its flaw but it was very appealing to me. To me, it represented a fairness that rely on skill and capability, where the influence of human factor could be reduced dramatically. 

A lot of people would know health care in US is expensive. Starbucks provide healthcare benefits as long as you work 20 hours a week. Their coffee comes from ethical source. In 2008, they held their biennial meeting in New Orleans, which had yet recovered from Hurricane Katrina. They had helped many people paid their mortgages and bills that month with the amount of money that they spent there. 

These are what I like about the company. When it has the ability, choices made to benefit themselves include those who need it. Besides building a powerful brand, there is also a big heart. 

I like the values behind this company. 

People can question whether this is truly the values of the company or it is a front that is being put out for business and PR sake. 

I have kind of gave up this train of thoughts many years ago. I can either be a cynic and have all type of thoughts about the company or I can read a bit more and decide for myself if I am going to go with what is presented to me. 

Life is kind of busy with so much of things happening all at the same time. Frankly, I do not mind being a bit naive at times and take it at face value. After all I am not like giving them my life savings.

I can only say I am happy to buy from Starbucks because even if it is for business front; I am glad to know that I am helping the farmers in the struggling developing countries one way or the other. 

Onward is heartful read. It is not just about Starbucks. I like the messages that were presented in the book - values, innovation, humanity, responsibilities and social contribution. 

Howard Schultz's proceeds from the sale of the book would be donated to the Starbucks Foundation. So, good to know I am contributing again :)

Singapore National Library Board has the book for a loan. 

Or check it out at Book Depository or Amazon if you would like to add it to your collection. Remember to take shipping cost into consideration!

Gender Equality

I just need to write about this book that I wrote about a while ago - Lean In - because I finally finished it, and there are things that I really like in it. 

There are so many pointers that I like; just so many. I can't write all since everyone would be really bored by the time I finished. Taking the gender out of the context, this is what I like: 

• It's time the male should not be given weird looks if they choose to be the stay-home-dad. Moms may have the boobs to give the baby a comfy support, but the dad can do it just as well with a comfy blanket. 

• Housework to be shared equally! To show my 101% support for this statement needs both my legs on top of both my hands, counting all the 10 toes and fingers! Housework should never be dumped onto one party, or the partner who is working from home, well, unless, the stay-home partner is a stay-home-worker. If both are working, chores should always be shared. No one like to be choring away, everyone likes to be on the couch. 

• Don't belittle yourself and be mean to yourself. Speak up. No one owes it to you to give you the chance; you owe it to yourself. Speak up if you truly deserve that promotion. 

• Help those around you, both in career and personal life. Pay it forward. When everyone start to lend a helping hand, the world becomes a better place, faster. Of course, still help the mean-ies; point them to the counselling centre to get a value cleansing first. 

• The last, and my favourite - when you are offer a seat in the rocket, you do not ask where is the seat, you get on. When you are looking for a career, starting a business, look for the fast growth. We are not talking about endless overtime, but the culture. Do not get stagnant, that is when the politics starts. 

Perhaps some males might find the book very skewed in certain views, but if you take out the gender issue, this is a very good read. I would recommend it to all, especially the ladies. 

To end, since Sheryl Sandberg wrote this book, let's just say more for the women, it would be nice to end this post with a fantastic recent viral video. Thanks Mom!

Lean In

If you are a woman, read this book. 

Lean In is a book by Sheryl Sandberg, who currently is the COO of Facebook (FB). She joined Google at its start up and was there for over six years before she joined FB to take the lead of someone who was only 23 at that point of time. 

I won't glamourise about her. I am just a third through the book and I cannot decide if I would like her until the end of the book. But I find so many lessons in the book that I wish fervently it has been published as a reading text for the girls in their college, tertiary education. Male readers would perhaps find this book very skewed, it could be because they are MALE? Much as I love my father, husband, brother and some of my male friends, there are certainly times when "The men don’t get it", just like what UOB lady's card said. 

But these aside, guys should read this book too for the advice that was dished out by some of the most talented people in the world, who are still alive and had proved that their attitude and thinking works.

Check out this advice dished out by Eric Schmidt, and I quote:

"...he explained that only one criterion mattered when picking a job - fast growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to do than there are people doing them. When companies grow more slowly or stop growing, there is less to do and too many people to not be doing them. Politics and stagnation set in, and everyone falters. He told me, 'If you are offered a seat on a rocket ship, you don't ask what seat. You just get on.' "

Whao, right? That solves the mystery of office politics!

Get onto the right rocket, and even if the launch mission is not successful, just being in that rocket would bring about a difference in thinking. The experience is not something that one can get from every job. 

I still remember my first job. It was a new start up, and though the launch mission failed, it provided a fantastic learning ground. The start-up team was one of the closest team that I had ever worked with throughout my career. There was totally no politics, we were working our ass off right from the start. Some of those on the team became the best friends I could ever have. When politics is out of the way, wonderful things happen. 

Sandberg believes in setting a long term dream and an eighteen-month plan. I love her eighteen-month plan that includes learning a new skill. This is something that I incorporate into my own mid-term plan too; it feels good to see this being advised in the book. Challenge yourself; everyone has room for improvement. 

I read reviews that some readers felt Sandberg belongs to a small elite group, and hence her talks in the book do not walk in the life of normal, day-to-day female. I personally felt this does not matter - if we are not in the elite group and know no one in that group, isn't it great to be able to read about how these people succeed in the comfort of your couch and bed? 

Lean In is available in Singapore National Library for a loan. 

Or get it and add to your home library from Book Depository or Amazon. Remember to take the shipping into consideration :)

Left Neglected

The 30 minutes before la-la land is my favourite time. 

I would be snuggle in bed with a puffed up pillow behind my back and a book in hand. For a couple of months, Plants vs Zombies 2 shared some of the days with the book. But for the last one week, zombies had not a chance. I was faithfully in bed with Lisa Genova every single night.

Lisa is telling a story about Sarah, who used to be a successful workaholic and a supermom before she suffered from Left Neglect after being involved in a car accident. She lost the use of the left side of her body, but the world continued to be whole to her. When she ate, the left side of her plate was untouched. To her, she had eaten up everything. When she put on her make up, only the right side was done up. 

There was a part that I especially like. Sarah was painting and her mother commented that the left side of her painting lacked some colour, due to her disability on the left. However, this unintended action made the mural hauntingly beautiful. The left was like a winter and it slowly transcended into spring with the colour becoming more obvious on the right. It just sort of tells us there is always a beautiful side in every situation. 

The story tells of a world of adjustment that the family made, and the reconciliation of mother and daughter. A perfect book for a female reader who is looking for something light and meaningful. Genova sprinkled humour in all corners of the story, slightly different from "Still Alice", her first book. 

Both books tapped on her medical knowledge. Still Alice has been adapted into a movie, starring Julianne Moore! I am very much looking forward to the movie, since I am a fan of book-adapted movies. I like to the see the characters come alive on screens. 

Both books are available in Singapore National Library for loans.

Or, Amazon and Book Depository has the book for you to add to your collection. Don't forget to take the shipping cost into consideration!

Pour Your Heart Into It

Hubs loves a good cup of coffee, especially an icy cold one from Starbucks. Whenever we travel, we would always try to look out for a Starbucks café and spend some time there. Just sitting and enjoy some quiet time.

  

Perhaps not a lot of people know Starbucks was built from a six-stores café in Seattle about 26 years ago. 

Many years ago, when I was going through some career changes and was wondering through a bookstore, I came across a book about Starbucks. It talks about “how Starbucks built a company one cup at a time”.

The book gives an account of how Howard Schultz poured his heart into building a humane company that always puts the employees first, and never leave anyone behind. The book also talks about his perseverance, vision and unbeatable spirit in realising his dream; despite being born to a less than wealthy family. 

The writing style is fluid; nothing like a business book with tons of technical jargons. Mr. Schultz told a good story with his co-writer, Dori Jones Yang. 

Read this book when you have doubts about what you intend to pursue. Read it if you need encouragement from an entrepreneur, who is where he is today because of he fought a good battle for his belief and vision. 

The book is available in Singapore National Library for a loan. 

Or, if you want to add it to your collection, check out the book at Book Depository or Amazon. Remember to include the shipping cost for better comparison!