My Blog

And then, the countdown began for Half-Blood Prince. This part of the story started 3 months after the launch of Phoenix. That was when Borders sold the hardcover book at $15 in anticipation of the paperback ones. For the benefit of those ignorant ones, that price was less than 50% of the original one! Upon seeing this, my sis and I were determined to get that huge savings and we agreed that we should just wait and buy the book later. However, as the date got nearer, all logics were thrown out of the window and we finally bowed to the inevitable (of course the fact that you get an extra $5 voucher and a free goodie bag helps).

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It was a Saturday, the 2^nd NE show for the National Parade. I was on duty to pick up the primary school kid and so I trusted my sis to pick up the book. But, I went a little too early, so I end up with 20 minutes to spare. It was a very hot and humid day, so I decided to enter Tampines Mall and just window-shopped for while. And then, it happened, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glimpse of a red sign. After that, I lost control of my body, my feet just refused to listen to my brain. No matter how hard I tried, they just moved on their own. Just like magic. I tried to drag them down, I really did (there was a 20% discount on Charles and Keith you know.) Alas, it was not meant to be.

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Once inside, my feet took me (against my wish of course!) to the counter where the books were placed. I stared longingly at them and told myself that a little touch would not matter. I should have known, Lucifer was at work and still I succumbed to the temptation. The lady at the counter saw all of these battles raging inside me and tried to help. She said that the book was on 20% discount and I told her that I had a copy at home. She must have thought that I was insane. It took me 10 mins to read the first chapter and the next 7 hours being tormented.

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On a brighter note, this time round. I was the one trying to figure out the identity of the Half-Blood Prince while my sister was figuring out superposition. I was trying to understand Golpalott’s Third Law while she was trying to understand Hess’s Law. Of course, I was in a dilemma, part of me wanted to read as fast as possible while the other part wanted to enjoy the book very very slowly. In the end, curiosity got the better of me.

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Now, summer 2007, this has been the most interesting year. With the movie and the book coming out within a week of one another. My feeling can only be described as ecstatic! After such a long time, finally the journey will end. We will know the truth once and for all. The only problem is that I don’t know if I will like the truth. I hope I do (not that I have a lot of choices). But I guess, that is the essence, we all yearn for the truth, but the truth finally dawned on us, we wished that he had never learnt of it.

And then it began, the long agonizing wait, the love-hate relationship with each new book. Long-time fans will remember that the summer of 2002 came and went and still no sign of the book. When the announcement was made, I was livid, I was crestfallen and I threw tantrums. Childish; I know but I just can’t help it! Just like millions out there at that time.

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Thank goodness, there was Christopher Columbus to save the day in Dec of 2003. I still remember that I almost became my last movie with Cecil if not for that Chem paper. I remember watching it after my last O level paper (it was Geography MCQ) in Lido and I had the misfortune to sit behind a group of kiddos who sang “always look on the bright side of life” at the top of their lungs every time that ad appeared. That was the last straw for me, I swore that I am not going back to Lido ever (a promise I have kept until now)

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I still remember the promotion that the recently launched Today paper had and what my sis did to win it and other stuff we did to get those posters. Embrassing. Shall not mention it. But the joy of getting them was priceless. I was more excited about this than preparing for my graduation dinner (can you believe that?)

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Finally, summer 2003, we pre-ordered and waited and waited, with a sense of trepidation as Rowling said she was going to kill off someone. That fateful day was during the last week of the school holiday; I woke up early, ate breakfast at McDonald, collected the book, went home and studied for my Physics common test. Pathetic! So while the rest of the world grounded themselves at home to read, I did exactly the same thing but for a Physics exam. The pain was agonising, the torture was too much to bear. I sat there trying to figure out circular motion while my sis was trying to figure out Occlumency. I cursed whoever set the Chem paper that year while my sis cursed Umbridge. Ah, that week was a blur, I didn’t really remember how I got through it, but I did and emerged as a stronger person. Prepared for a future that includes more waiting and waiting and waiting.

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So, we waited again with no end in sight (cuz Rowling said she will publish the next book when she is ready) and that can range from 1 to 3 years. Oh well, we were at her mercy, but we refused to go down without fighting. Letters, emails and Howlers were sent, but to no avail. But, we see a glimmer of hope in all of this darkness, this time thanks to Alfonso Cuaron during summer

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By now, we all know that movies can never replace the books, but we still flocked to the cinemas because we need to satisfy our thirst. Imagine yourself in a desert, the sight of an oasis will give you hope although deep in your heart, you know that it was just a fata morgana, because secretly you hope that it is real.

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This time, it was the first week of the June holiday. I watched on a Friday and on Saturday, I flew back home. Blissful; two things I love the most. Although the event that followed this was nothing but a series of unfortunate event. Well, you see, in our excitement for the movie, my sis and I left the house early, ate lunch and after the movie, we ate dinner. By the time we reached home, fatigued set in and against our better judgment, we decided to sleep without packing and tidying up the house. The result was a fiasco. WARNING: whatever is in the next paragraph should never reach my mum’s ears, otherwise, I will send dementors your way.

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So, we worked hard, packed and did all those things before leaving your empty for a month and as a result, we arrived late at the airport. So late that they closed the check-in counters. Oh, the horror! My heart plummeted upon hearing the news. I shuddered at the thought of calling my mum to tell her the truth. I thank my lucky stars that there was this nice lady who tried so hard for us and I am glad to report that we did get onto that plane. And from that day, I swore that I will never start packing on the day itself (a promise I have not managed to keep until this day). Just FYI, the year after that, I changed my resolution, it now said “never take a flight that is before 12 pm”