Since March last year, I have not had a decent sleep. Some days I sleep for an hour or two. Other days perhaps up to four or five hours. I would wake up in the wee hours feeling awake but not totally. I would try to sleep in the guest room or even at the sofa in the living room before sunrise. Mostly a waste of time. Getting through the day has always been a struggle. It all started with a noisy water pipe from the unit above us, which took them months to have it sorted. Then all the noise of door closing, door knocking, and what-not objects hitting the floor – at five in the morning. I am as though being conditioned into someone not needing a sleep by my neighbors from a foreign country. Weekdays or weekends, it doesn’t matter. For over a year, I have been longing for a day to simply oversleep. Or getting awaken by my alarm clock. I know most hate the sound of the alarm clock. I miss the sound. Because I know if I am awaken by it, I would have had a decent sleep.
Over this long four days of holiday, a tiny miracle happens. I was able to wake up at 8.30 am on Saturday, and then later. This morning I woke up at 10.30 am. I feel amazing. I feel like I am on top of the world again. I have started playing my music. And I have returned to blogging.
Hence this post (and the previous one).
I have always enjoy reading. Due to my year long lack of sleep, I have stopped reading. Now that I am getting some, I quickly resume one of my favorite activities – reading. What a lovely sunny day today was – a tad too hot and humid nonetheless. So I suggested to visit the Botanic Gardens for lunch. My wife and I had salad and pizza. The table next to ours a father and a daughter with a Shepard dog (I think). The dog was beautiful. He has attracted so much attention from the ladies passing by. Imagine I have a dog just like that! My wife may be right on one thing though. Maybe I am not a dog person. Rather, someone who is into cats. After our lunch, we read books for as long as our bodies could withstand. 3.30 pm, we rushed back home downing a full bottle of ice water and had some ice-cream. Such a warm day today was.
Two weeks ago, I picked up Alena by Rachel Pastan from a local library. Now that I have the energy, I have a go at it. One critic links this book to my favorite Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. That is a pretty bold comparison and immediately Alena got my attention. I can see the resemblance – in some ways. But Alena is something completely different. I could be wrong. As and when I have finished reading this, I will write an post on this.
For four days straight, my wife and I have stayed at home enjoying our long holiday (except that visit to the garden for food and reading). We caught up on our favorite TV series. Like Revenge and a Korean show called My Princess. I love how the Koreans make drama. It is so engaging. It is so addictive. Somewhat like a Western version of The Princess’s Diaries but with a Korean touch to it. I am such a fan of the Korean actress Kim Tae-hee (picture on the right). As soon as I have finished watching My Princess, I have this emptiness engulfing me. It is hard to describe. As though I wanted more. I don’t have this sort of feeling for Western TV series. Maybe that has something to do with my cultural background.
Season 3 Revenge came to the end. Both Madeleine Stowe and Henry Czerny are such great actors. Gabriel Mann acts well too. The rest – including the lead actress – I am not too sure. Season 1 finale was frustrating to watch. Same goes to season 2 finale. It is hard to swallow the fact that the bad guys are winning. Season 3 finale is different. Almost like a bitter victory with some shocking revelation. This whole revenge business is not going to end. Until everyone is dead, I think.
After watching that amazing movie called The Amazing Spider-Man 2, I feel like catching up on another one by Emma Stone. The “A” from Easy A appears to be a reference to a classic movie. There is also a reference to the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Something to do with adultery.
Anyway, in a Gossip Girl style, it all started with a self-spread rumor that Olive (played by Emma Stone) had a one-night-stand over one weekend. A gay boy later on approaches Olive in order to fabricate an affair so that people would think he is straight. Soon, there are more and more rumors for various reasons. What a hilarious movie to watch. Moral of the story? There is none. Just pure entertainment. And what a treat to Emma Stone fans.
I have no idea if my sleeping problem is ‘cured’. I hope it does. Only time can tell.