'How starbucks saved my life'

If there's anything I spend too much on, it's on books (besides shoes- but then again I only bought 3 pairs of shoes in comparison to 10 books since August. The amount probably adds up.. but that is beside the point. Oops I forgot about my braces.. I spent more than 1k on them already!)

I've been indulging myself in books written by Ju Zi, a young Taiwanese author. I like her style of writing- straightforward (with occasional vulgarity) but more importantly, I like how I feel after reading her books.

I forgot where I read this but it goes like this, "when you buy a book (fiction), you are essentially purchasing a 'mood' of some sort." I don't know how well you can relate to this- but I strongly agree with this observation.

Usually after reading Ju Zi's books (genre: romance), I get a warm fuzzy feeling. I love happy endings. But if there's anything I love more than happy endings, it's reading about the events leading to the happy endings. I like to put myself in the shoes of the main narrator- who is usually the female lead. It's almost like getting to know a new friend.. as you barge into her life and read her deepest thoughts. Unfortunately, as much as I cry and smile with them throughout the course of the book, I almost always never remember them after I finish reading. Why? Because I'm very impatient. I like to finish reading a book in one sitting. I am guilty of speed reading- which often involves skimming through certain bits of the stories. As a result, I forget their names and stories after a few days. This actually doesn't bother me much...if at all- because I love re-reading books and I know someday, I will surely 'meet' them again and re-live their stories.

This morning, I went out with the intention of getting a birthday card and mouthwash ( I didn't get the mouthwash because I totally forgot about it. Instead, I got some stationery and a pair of shoes!! Geez). On my way home, I felt an urge to get a magazine so I drove to Best Eastern. I ended up spending over 60 bucks on three books. I just couldn't resist them. I kept thinking of all the things I would miss out if I didn't get them right there, right then. 'What if they run out of stock next time?' 'What if I miss finding out some enlightening, life-changing message in one of those books that would have really turned my life around?'

One of the books I got (and finished reading) today was 'How Starbucks Saved My Life' by Michael Gates Gill. It's awesome. I feel obliged to record my thoughts immediately after I put the book down. My main takeaway from this book is that we really are never too old to learn- or start our life anew. All it takes is our will- the desire to change our life for the better instead of moaning about what could have been. Mike was fired from his high-paying job in his fifties. And he found a job in Starbucks- or rather, the job found him. I can imagine how hard it was...this is akin to turning from a prince to a pauper.

Nevertheless, he did manage to turn his life around. He learned the

real meaning of 'respect', 'teamwork' and 'camaraderie'...in his sixties.

I am delighted to be able to read Mike's story at this point in time. In fact, it's rather timely for a fresh graduate from uni who is just about to step foot into the working world. Reading this book is almost equivalent to attending a lecture on 'Life 101'. I can't exactly put into words how much his story has inspired me.

I am sure there are others out there like him- with similar setbacks in life... what I can't be sure of is if they also managed to turn their lives around, like he did- but it doesn't matter. Because with a success story like his, I am convinced that it can also happen to others; to you and me... & I take great comfort in knowing and believing that there is hope after all.