The Little Prince
was packing my things last friday and my brother came across this nicely-wrapped present left at the corner of the room. i unwrapped it and still didn't recall what it was and who gave that to me. thankfully there was a little note written inside and goodness!! it's my 21st birthday present left at a corner for years still wrapped nicely! my heart warmed, because of the sweet note written inside of the book cover. that was given to me by my very good buddy, who deemed me as a profound thinker. haha~ oops, sorry my dear, i left most of my things here in sg that time before heading back aus to continue my studies.

back to the heart warming note, had it not been the note, i wouldn't have continued reading. my buddy's note went:
dearest, i find this book inspiring, hence bought it as a gift for your 21st birthday. hope you like it as much as i do. happy 21st! lotsa love, from me.

i trust those words. it has a very fairy tale book title, called "The Little Prince". it looks as if a book written for primary school kids, especially with the cartoon pictures found everywhere in between the pages of the book. its font size is much bigger than those of my bible. however, upon reading the introduction, i realised it's a very thought provoking, metaphorical and deep book written in 1943 for grown-ups...not kids.

when i first saw the book, my appetite for reading was revived. maybe because of the cartoons and pictures found on the cover page and in-between pages that attracted me to read on. and yes, have been reading this book everywhere i went. during train rides, bus rides, before sleeping...

this french author used very fairy-tale characters to portray the realities of life. it emphasises a lot on treasuring those invisible things in life, for these are more important than material wealth. how true...! this little prince loved to see the sunsets, treasured his flower and was very proud that he owned 2 volcanoes in his planet. these were those invisible things he termed as important. he went on visits to different planets of this world, and he was disappointed that grown-ups won't stop their busyness to appreciate little things in life like lifting their heads up to admire the shiny stars above, to drink water and be glad that it quenches thirst and other simple invisible things in life. he could not understand the priorities of ppl and things he met along the way. he was disturbed when he met a king who felt that his kingdom was the greatest, a self-indulgent conceited man who was searching for admirers to applaud him for his goodness and a businessman who was more concerned with earning money and achieving social status.

the little prince said something which caught my eye this morning. he was comparing the bunch of roses found in the Sahara desert to his little flower he has:
you are beautiful, but you are empty. one could not die for you. of course, an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you. but in herself she matters more than all of you together, since it is she that i watered; since it is she that i placed under the glass dome; since it is she that i sheltered with the screen; since it is she whose caterpillars i killed. since it is she that i listened to, when she complained, or boasted, or when she was simply being silent. since it is she who is my rose. what is essential is invisible to the eye. it is the time i have spent on my rose that makes my rose so important.

isn't that true? it's the time spent on your favourite things that makes them important to you. it depends on what's your priorities, in life. a person you love becomes very important to you over time because of the time and effort spent loving him. nothing could be compared to him because it is he whom you have spent valuable moments with. often, you become glued to the person or thing you have devoted your time on. so choose today, what is important :) the invisible things in life!

P/s: You've gota read the book!! i just finished reading it and i'm thankful i got this gift! it's a great book!

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