The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do (2010)

 

“There are only two times. Now and too late.”
- Anh Do's dad

I've run into Anh Do via my son's book collection (Ninja Kid, E-Boy, Weirdo) and I thought this happiest refugee dude who is a stand-up comedian must be another person. I did a quick google a few years ago (I check out the authors of the books we read) and there's another Anh Do who finished law school at the University of Technology, Sydney. I thought at that time, "There sure are a lot of Anh Dos out there!"

I have just finished reading Anh Do's memoir and I am blown away by not just what he has accomplished (writing books, running interesting businesses, competing at Dancing with the Stars, hosting TV shows, acting in films, etc. etc. etc.) but more so with his ability to rise above his circumstances, the gratefulness and zest for life that radiate with everything he does, his love for his family, and his earnestness to remain true to his core values.

Page & Turner

My niece, Sara, has alerted me that there's a new bookshop near my workplace. I checked this during my lunch break, and I had a difficult time peeling myself from this store. One can get lost in this shop for ages - it's a treasure trove! There's even a children's section where (possibly) one can take a nap. 

Now, if Mark can be convinced to install a coffee machine, I can possibly be induced to take half the day off and pretend I caught gastro at some long meeting which served bad cheese. 

Page & Turner

Level 2, Myer Centre

Rundle Mall, Adelaide, South Australia

Trading Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday: 9.30am - 5pm

Sunday: 11am - 5pm

Martindale Hall and its home library

Martindale Hall, built in 1889, has 32 rooms and a large cellar of seven rooms. What dazzled me though in this Georgian-style mansion built in the 1800s is the home library with its fabulous collection. It does not hurt that this library also has a pool table and a mini bar.  Cheers to the "baronial" lifestyle!

Martindale Hall
Manoora Road, Mintaro, Clare Valley
South Australia 5415

https://martindalehall.com.au/
https://southaustralia.com/products/clare-valley/attraction/martindale-hall

Spare by Prince Harry (January 2023)

Spare is a royal tantrum of majestic proportions: the prince took swipes at people from his childhood, aired dirty linen in public, griped about his perceived financial destitution, gloated over his war games, advertised his philanthropic activities, worried about his nether regions, reminisced his pre-Meg romances, justified the wild partying, and yes, rolled weed.  While he vociferously justified why he came out with the book, it is incomprehensible why he provided all this fodder as he has incessantly complained against the relentless viciousness of the media. Early in the first chapter, he referred to Wallis Simpson as "notorious" which in the scheme of things, is preposterous as the Sussexes have made Edward and Wallis's exit look like child's play.One does understand the Eton teacher's frustration when he vented:

I cannot fathom it, Wales. We’re talking about your blood relatives – does that mean nothing to you?

 To which the Spare, replied:

Less than nothing, sir. It wasn’t just that I didn’t know anything about my family’s history: I didn’t want to know anything.

The unfortunate thing is, at the end of the book, Charles's darling boy doesn't feel darling at all with his moaning and groaning. Matters which are being pushed by the House of the Sussexes - racial discrimination, mental health, tabloid reporting, and violation of privacy – were eclipsed by the prince’s whinging and the travails of his privileged life. What Spare successfully did was bolster Hilary Mantel's observation in 2013:

I used to think that the interesting issue was whether we should have a monarchy or not. But now I think that question is rather like, should we have pandas or not? Our current royal family doesn’t have the difficulties in breeding that pandas do, but pandas and royal persons alike are expensive to conserve and ill-adapted to any modern environment. But aren’t they interesting? Aren’t they nice to look at? Some people find them endearing; some pity them for their precarious situation; everybody stares at them, and however airy the enclosure they inhabit, it’s still a cage.

(PS. The infamous Henry VIII was a spare too. And look what he became when his brother passed away and he became the heir.) 

Dreaming with Eyes Open

Aspiring to be the next Ronaldo. 

 

Book Now

We are in Bendigo this weekend to see the Elvis Presley exhibit.  I was sorely tempted to give the King of Rock and Roll a pass and stay instead in this bookshop - nay, a book house. A day is simply not enough. This is serious stuff. Bring a truck with you when you decide to visit this oasis.

Book Now

1 Farmers Lane, Bendigo, Victoria

Australia 

+61 0354438587

Elvis Presley's Travel Bookcase

The Bendigo Art Gallery is presenting from Graceland, various costumes, vintage memorabilia, and personal effects of Elvis Presley. The exhibit runs from 19 March to 17 July 2022.

Who would have thought that the King of Rock and Roll owned not only a bookcase, but a Travel Bookcase!

 “This bookcase was found on Elvis’s private plane, the ‘Lisa Marie’ by the Graceland Archivists. He used this case to transport books while touring. Elvis was a reader of eclectic materials, but with particular interests in spirituality, politics, and history. ‘The Prophet’, the classic 1923 volume of poetic writing by Lebanese-American author Kahlil Gibran, was one of Elvis’s favourite texts which he gifted to many friends. Elvis’s passion for spiritual and philosophical explorations was encouraged by Larry Geller, his personal hairdresser and confidence during the 19602 and 1970s, sometimes creating tensions within the Graceland entourage."