Harry Potter (controlled) mania

The world has been gripped by Harry Potter fever over the last week as the final instalment in the series was released.

I've never considered myself a die-hard fan, but I dutifully placed my order for the Deathly Hallows just days before its release. On the day the book hit the shelves, I didn't rush down to Borders first thing in the morning even though I had to work later in the day. But what I did do was to make a special trip down to the store during dinner time to collect my order - something that didn't pass without comment from C, who wondered why I couldn't wait another day to pick up the book.

In the days that followed, I didn't cut myself off from civilisation or sacrifice my sleep time (or at least, not much of it), but I did make it a point not to schedule any appointments, and used whatever time I could find to read the book, even bringing it to the office so that I could sneak in one or two chapters after my work was done for the day, until I finally completed the 600-plus pages on the 5th day after my purchase.

For non-fans like C, I probably count as some sort of obsessed fan, but I'm positive that in the eyes of the hardcore fans, what I did was hardly worth mentioning. They would in all likelihood have shut themselves up somewhere and devoured the book in a day or less.

So where does that leave me? I guess I would consider my symptoms some form of controlled mania. I wouldn't call it the full-blown kind for two reasons. First, of course, I didn't go with the flow entirely. Second, I was fully conscious of the decision I made to allow myself to take up the Harry Potter "project".

It's been a long time since I last got caught up in any activity or project. Those days when I obsessed over NKOTB, or built my thesis from scratch are over. But I do miss the rush that comes from actively pursuing some project, getting caught up in the heat of things, especially if it comes without the self-conscious reflexivity that can be such a dampener.

I can't help noticing the farcicality of it all, but the least I can do is to attempt to deceive myself into pretending that it matters and taking it seriously - hence the controlled nature of my Harry Potter mania.

And just for the record - I enjoyed myself.

A day in the life of a model

I'm sure many brides get all excited about their bridal shoot, but I was not one of them. I didn't bother to check out potential locations for the outdoor shoot. I didn't lug along bags of clothes, shoes, accessories or cute knick-knacks. I didn't even have my manicure and pedicure. In short, you could say I was rather blase about it.

But I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive on the day itself. After all, I didn't have a photogenic face, unlike my sister, or a great smile, like C. Luckily, I have a good photographer -Y was funny, reassuring and encouraging.

Gradually, I gained in confidence and began to revel in the novelty of the experience as I tried to follow Y's instructions - sit up straight, shoulders relaxed; occupy your hands; don't tilt your face too high or too low etc. After all, it's not every day that one gets to lead the life of a model. In fact, there were even moments when I nearly forgot myself and could say I almost knew what it was like to be a model.

Posing in front of the camera is fun, but it can get tiring after a while, especially if it involves trying to look cool or loving under hot and humid conditions. Still, I enjoyed every bit of the shoot. Indeed, thanks to this valuable experience, I've corrected some of the misconceptions that I had and gained newfound respect for the work that models do. 10 poses in 10 seconds, anyone?

The search is over

Yes, I've found a photographer for my wedding day. When every single photographer I emailed replied to say he was already booked for the day, I became so fed-up I decided to call instead. And I hit the jackpot on my first try - E was still available!

We met, and he revealed that someone had sort of "booked" him for our date but never got back to him after that, probably because she had found someone else.

And it turns out that he's a Catholic too. Well, it may not mean anything to anyone else, but I saw that as a sign from God that He's been looking out for us. Don't get me wrong - I didn't sign up with E for religious reasons; I truly think his skills are good. But things happen for a reason. Though E wasn't my first choice, I believe there is a reason why God "saved" him for us. And I shall leave it at that.