no, no, that's not true, although i think it'd be pretty neat if that were to happen. then again, it'd be pretty grody.

this thought came from the movie, "magnolia" which i just rented with a friend after some magnificent reviews by a coworker. what did i think of it? slow at first, but it gets good, really good. it's twisted, strange, confusing, but in the end it will all come together and make sense. you will find yourself wanting to go back and rewatch it for those parts that at first didn't make any sense and you will be like, "oh! oh! oh!"

so, it's friday night and i am dateless. not that i'm not able to get a date. i'd just rather stay in on my own. we'll save the dates for the rest of the weekend. besides, this afternoon after lunch, there was a little surprise atop my desk, leaning against my keyboard. it was a book. ah! a book! a brand new, spanking book!

i got closer and noticed the title, "the good earth" by pearl s. buck. at that moment, i knew it was from my lovely, french art director, who shares with me the right side of our office loft. i knew it was from her because she was just telling me about this particular book the day before as we lost ourselves in conversation about books we love and how we were both such bookworms during our teenage years.

we shared stories about how we'd stay up til the wee hours of the morning, when we could no longer keep our eyes open. we'd wake up with the book still held in our hands, using the thumb as a bookmark and our glasses still on our heads. [smile] those were the days i sometimes long for.

i was tickled with surprise because it was such a nice gesture. i am not used to receiving little gifts and this truly was a gift. she tells me it is for me. i say, "really? you mean to keep?" she says, "yes, really, to keep." i am overwhelmed with happiness because no one has bought me anything like this for ages.....not even my last serious boyfriend from over a year ago, unless you count the time he sent me roses to my previous work. i think that was the nicest thing he ever did for me.

they were red roses. six of them, in a vase. he asked me later what kind of flowers the florist chose for him. i said, "what? you don't know?" he says, "no." i tell him they were red roses. he snickers and says, "man, i didn't want them to be red roses." later on, much later on, i knew why. he was not in love with me. that was a two-year relationship without either of us being in love. we only stayed as long as we did because we became so comfortable with each other. it was a relationship based on convenience and companionship (companionship....god that sounds so old).....one that many people go through and it's sad because one day you will both wake up and realize the time you've both lost to nothingness. i do not regret what we had, but i promised myself i would not let this happen again. anyway, let's move on from this sad epic, shall we?

so, the book....i am anxious to read this book and i shall read and read and read til i can no longer hold open my eyes, and i shall wake with all the lights on, and my glasses still on my head, with my thumb acting as the bookmark where i left off reading the last sentences as my eyes finally laid to rest.....ahem. :) forget the boys, i shall have a date with this book.

ps. grace, i'm sorry i haven't written back. i accidently deleted your last mail after i begged for you to write. once again, i no longer have your email! write again.

pss. this is for candi, megan, and renee. i promised to link some of you earlier and i think now's a good time. i should start a permanent link on the side for good reads that make me go back for smiles. i have started another website at asianavenue.com under the name msdezine. sign up there for free and try it out if anyone wants a taste of asian culture. warning: the sites are pretty generic and not so exciting. some are pretty dumb, flavored with pics of cars by guys and cutesy pokemons by girls. some readable and some hardly readable due to riduculously splashy backgrounds that will irrate your pretty eyes.