These macarons are dedicated to the iconic blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe. I was inspired to bake these Marilyn Monroe Macarons after reading the book "Marilyn in Manhatten" by Elizabeth Winder. The book takes an exclusive look of the movie star's year in New York, not long before her tragic end. 

When I began to read the book, I didn't know much about Marilyn except her signature blonde glamour, and the abrupt way she chose to leave the world. After each chapter, I learnt more and more about her - that she had a tortured childhood, and a sadness that lingered on into adulthood. ("This was a girl who had nothing but the great gem that she was, and everyone go to hold and fondle that gem, and then put it back when they were done with it". )

Sadly, the world failed to notice the other side of her. She indulged in books (who would have thought that she's actually a bookworm?), and she had the attitude to "laugh at yourself before anyone else can." A fascinatingly beautiful fact is she often went makeup-free - that in itself is so progressive for a movie star at that time. 

Above all, Marilyn is so much more deep, complex, and multi-faceted than Hollywood painted her to be, and she was fighting to break out of the mould every step of the way during her time in New York. 

Like Marilyn said, "All we demanded was our right to twinkle."

MARILYN MONROE MACARON RECIPE
by Sumopocky

Yield
Approximately 3 Full-Body Macarons + 5 Head-Only Macarons

Ingredients
[For Macaron Shells]
Meringue: 35g of Egg whites + 45g of Castor sugar
40g of Almond flour
40g of Powdered/icing sugar
Food colouring: Black, Brown, Blue, Red

[For Filling]
Click here to fill with your desired flavour!

Macaron Template
Download Marilyn Monroe Macaron Template

Directions
[For Macaron Shells]
1. Make the meringue. In a bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed using an electric mixer until it is white and frothy (approximately 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar 1/4 at a time. When the first addition of sugar has completely dissolved (approximately 1 minute later), increase the mixer speed to medium and add until all the sugar has been incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. [Basic Macaron Tutorial Video]
2. Sift the almond flour and icing sugar to the meringue.
3. Begin macaronage. Using a spatula, start the macaronage process by folding and lightly scraping the top of the batter. Continue till the ingredients just start to combine.
4. Then, split the batter and continue to macaronage process, until you get a molten-like mixture and drips down like a ribbon when lifted. Transfer to piping bags.

Colour of Batter	Portion	Piping Tip
Black Red White Skin Tone (a bit of sifted cocoa powder) Light Yellow	1 tbsp 1 tsp 1/5 of batter 2/5 of batter 2/5 of batter	Very small Very Small Small Small + Very Small Small

5. Pipe out batter onto parchment paper. Please refer to video above for demonstration.
6. Let the shells dry in a non humid place or in an air conditioned room. You should be able to touch it gently with the tip of your finger without it sticking.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for approximately 12 - 15 minutes.
8. Let shells cool before piping with filling. Enjoy!

These Matilda Macarons are dedicated to Roald Dahl fans ♥ As a child, I was not a big fan of books and reading. Meanwhile, my older sister is a huge fan and she has cupboards filled with books. I remember the first few books I read belonged to her, and one of them was Matilda.

"Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens." (Source: GoodReads) Oh and she's also a huge fan of books too! 

"Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world" 

by Roald Dahl

Looking back, I'm glad my parents urged me to pick up reading, because I've been drawn in ever since. Roald Dahl's books are timeless, and I can already foresee my child reading his books in the future. They are always magical, always touching, and always full of important life lessons. 

Hope you like this tutorial on how to make Matilda macarons! It was fun trying to recreate the book cover drawing in the form of macarons. I even made some books to match the theme. Will definitely explore this style of macaron art in the future!

Baked some Cow Macarons for National Reading Movement, featuring this month's read - Moo by Sharon Creech. While this is a children's novel, I enjoyed reading it on my recent trip to Perth. The heart-warming tale is a reminder that if we’re open to new experiences, life can be full of pleasant surprises.

The story is about a family’s move from city to rural Maine, and how an unexpected bond develops between twelve-year-old Reena and a cow. Because it is told from the perspective of Reena, as an adult, it is a refreshing change to read with the lens of a child. I have forgotten the innocence of being a child and thinking like a child, and so reading the book brought me right back to my childhood.

The novel is also told in a way that blends poetry and prose, and plays with the typeface and spacing of words that brings the story to life by accentuating emotions. Hence, if you or your child is not much of a reader or gets easily distracted, then this book and its interesting design will keep you engaged.

I would recommend this book for both children and adults, and you can borrow it from NLB here.

View my previous National Reading Movement entry:

• July: Baking with Less Sugar by Joanne Chang | Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Crème

Cow Macarons
by Sumopocky

Yield: ~ 20 macarons

Ingredients
[For Macaron Shells]
Meringue: 70g of Egg whites + 90g of Castor sugar
80g of Almond flour
80g of Powdered/icing sugar
Food colouring: Black, Brown

[For Filling]
Click here to fill with your desired flavour!

Directions
[For Macaron Shells]
1. Make the meringue. In a bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed using an electric mixer until it is white and frothy (approximately 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar 1/4 at a time. When the first addition of sugar has completely dissolved (approximately 1 minute later), increase the mixer speed to medium and add until all the sugar has been incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. [Basic Macaron Tutorial Video]
2. Sift the almond flour and icing sugar to the meringue.
3. Begin macaronage. Using a spatula, start the macaronage process by folding and lightly scraping the top of the batter. Continue till the ingredients just start to combine.
4. Then, split the batter and continue to macaronage process, until you get a molten-like mixture and drips down like a ribbon when lifted. Transfer to piping bags.

Colour of Batter	Portion
Brown Black White	2.5 tbsp 1 tbsp Remaining batter

5. Pipe out batter onto parchment paper. Please refer to video above for demonstration.
6. Let the shells dry in a non humid place or in an air conditioned room. You should be able to touch it gently with the tip of your finger without it sticking.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for approximately 10 - 13 minutes.
8. Let shells cool before piping with filling. Enjoy!

It's been quite some time since I've done a book update, and today I'm back with a post on a recipe book! This is part of a collaboration with National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore for the National Reading Movement. 

What is the National Reading Movement (NRM)?

It is a 5-year campaign by NLB to get the lovely folks residing in Singapore to Read More, Read Widely and Read Together. In 2016, they encouraged us to Read More by reading a little. This year, they are taking it a step further by getting people to Read Widely across different genres and reading formats, as well as reading in Mother Tongue Languages! 

As part of this movement, I'll be featuring a series of bakes related to my read of the month on my Instagram (#SumopockyReads). The first of the series is a recipe book, Baking with Less Sugar by Joanne Chang. I borrowed this book because it's been on my to-do list to bake healthier-choice desserts. Naturally, the title drew me in.

I borrowed the eBook version, but NLB also has it on loan at their libraries. I'm pretty slow to discover that NLB now loans out eBooks! *throws confetti!* That makes it so much more convenient to browse and borrow books. You don't need a Kindle or tablet to read the eBooks; Simply read them on your phone or computer in the comfort of your home or on the go. It's especially useful if you are looking for baking inspiration, as you can browse through countless recipes on the spot, and return them once done. 

Anyway, There's a wide range of low-sugar recipes in this book that shows how to use delicious ingredients and natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and fruit juice. Some of the mouthwatering recipes that caught my eyes are Blueberry Nectarine Pie, Chocolate Mousse, Coconut Chiffon Cake and Mint Chocolate Ice Cream. The one that made me really really want to eat on the spot, is the recipe for Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Crème. While this chocolate custard has under 14 grams of sugar per serving, it is still simply delicious. 

To quote Joanne, 

"I adore bittersweet chocolate. I love how it hits you deep and sharp on your tongue with little relief from the sweetness of sugar and how it lingers faintly smoky in your mouth." This recipe is "Rich and powerful, and not for those who shy away from strong, assertive flavours. (...) Serve it to true chocolate aficionados or people who enjoy examining the various subtleties in coffee or wine - or both! - as you'll be able to taste all of the different flavours within the chocolate her." 

If you're interested in baking with less sugar, borrow the eBook from NLB, or visit your nearest library. Stay tuned for more #SumopockyReads!

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRÈME
by Joanne Chang (Baking With Less Sugar)

Makes 4 Custards

Ingredients
480g of Whole Milk
140g of Bittersweet Chocolate
1 Large Egg, 2 Egg Yolks
3/4 tsp of Kosher Salt (or half the amount of regular salt)
1/2 tbsp of Vanilla extract
50g of Unsweetened heavy cream
Shaved chocolate for garnish

Deep in the hundred acre woods, lies a plate of Pooh macarons filled with Honey Yoghurt buttercream. The honey yoghurt buttercream is sweet and tangy with the mellow flavour of honey - a flavour that Pooh and friends will approve! 

Hello there. I haven't done a book post in ages, and I'm finally updating this section of Sumopocky with The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. This charming book is enchanting in every sense - from the writing to the illustrations by E. H. Shepard. 

While it may be "Children's literature", it's lighthearted tone and humour (that might go unnoticed by children) make an enjoyable read even for adults. So if you have not read the tales of Winnie-the-Pooh before, or if the last time you read was as a kid, then I highly encourage you to read it again. You'll notice hidden treasures that you might have overlooked as a child. 

Some of my favourite quotes from the book, and from others in the collection:

WINNIE THE POOH MACARONS 
with HONEY YOGHURT BUTTERCREAM

Servings: ~ 8 - 10 macarons

I have never enjoyed running. When I was younger, I ran only because I was forced to by the school for Physical Education. However, I still run for the obvious physical and health benefits, albeit the process being excruciating. In fact, running is the only sport I do nowadays because it works up a good sweat in a short period of time. Also, it is a good distraction from my thoughts - this works only because of the fact that I find running torturous, and I cannot fathom anything other than the pain with each step taken. 

Thus, as someone who doesn't like running, I am dumbfounded when I meet running enthusiasts. As hard as it is for me to wrap my head around the idea, there are people who actually love the activity, and my favourite author, Haruki Murakami, is one of them. 

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is almost like Haruki Murakami's personal memoir.  It is the most profound book of his that I've read so far, and I love how intimately personal it is. It is the chance to take a peek into the life of this reclusive author.

Someone's hobby reveals a lot about the person. From his running, we learn about his growth as a writer, his sleeping habits, previous career, and even about his wife who has a sweet tooth; As for Murakami himself, he believes that “most of what I know about writing I’ve learned through running every day.”

Likewise, I've experienced numerous epiphanies through baking - pieces of myself I've never known, things that brings me joy, and some revelations that are too embarrassing to be posted on this space. It has also reaffirmed several things I already knew about myself. Maybe one day I would publish a book titled, What I Talk About When I Talk About Baking. Haha.

Ramblings aside, I have even deeper and greater admiration for marathoners and triathletes. The pain they experience and their sheer determination make them feel more alive than ever. And I think that's what we all need, something that reminds ourselves of our existence. It is up to us to find something that evokes such raw emotion. 

"People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they'll go to any length to live longer. But don't think that's the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive then in a fog, and I believe running helps you to do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that's the essence of running, and a metaphor for life — and for me, for writing as whole. I believe many runners would agree."

Favourite Quotes from the book:

1. For now all I can do is put off making any detailed judgments and accept things as they are. Just like I accept the sky, the clouds, and the river. And there’s also something kind of comical about it all, something you don’t want to discard completely.

2. Emotional hurt is the price a person has to pay in order to be independent.

3. The most important thing we ever learn at school is the fact that the most important things can’t be learned at school.

4. Sometimes the world baffles me. I can’t believe that people would really do things like that.

5. Where did their thoughts, their hopes and dreams, disappear to? When people pass away, do their thoughts just vanish?

6. You make do with what you have. As you age you learn even to be happy with what you have. That’s one of the few good points of growing older.

7. So from the start, artistic activity contains elements that are unhealthy and antisocial. I’ll admit this. This is why among writers and other artists there are quite a few whose real lives are decadent or who pretend to be antisocial.

8. Beside, the road cows are lazily chewing grass. They show zero interest in the runners. They’re too busy eating grass to care about all these whimsical people and their nonsensical activities.

9. It’s a strange way of thinking and definitely a very strange feeling—consciousness trying to deny consciousness. You have to force yourself into an inorganic place. Instinctively I realized that this was the only way to survive.

10. Just because there’s an end doesn’t mean existence has meaning. An end point is simply set up as a temporary marker, or perhaps as an indirect metaphor for the fleeting nature of existence.

11. In this instance, relief outweighed happiness. It was like a tight knot inside me was gradually loosening, a knot I’d never even realized, until then, was there.

12. I don’t care about the time I run. I can try all I want, but I doubt I’ll ever be able to run the way I used to. I’m ready to accept that. It’s not one of your happier realities, but that’s what happens when you get older. Just as I have my own role to play, so does time. And time does its job much more faithfully, much more accurately, than I ever do.

13. Ever since time began (when was that, I wonder?), it’s been moving ever forward without a moment’s rest. And one of the privileges given to those who’ve avoided dying young is the blessed right to grow old. The honor of physical decline is waiting, and you have to get used to that reality.

14. On the body of the bike is written “18 Til I Die,” the name of a Bryan Adams hit. It’s a joke, of course. Being eighteen until you die means you die when you’re eighteen.

15. But in real life things don’t go so smoothly. At certain points in our lives, when we really need a clear-cut solution, the person who knocks at our door is, more likely than not, a messenger bearing bad news. It isn’t always the case, but from experience I’d say the gloomy reports far outnumber the others. The messenger touches his hand to his cap and looks apologetic, but that does nothing to improve the contents of the message. It isn’t the messenger’s fault. No good to blame him, no good to grab him by the collar and shake him. The messenger is just conscientiously doing the job his boss assigned him. And this boss? That would be none other than our old friend Reality.

16. I’ve always done whatever I felt like doing in life. People may try to stop me, and convince me I’m wrong, but I won’t change.

17. It doesn’t matter how old I get, but as long as I continue to live I’ll always discover something new about myself. No matter how long you stand there examining yourself naked before a mirror, you’ll never see reflected what’s inside.

18. Of course it was painful, and there were times when, emotionally, I just wanted to chuck it all. But pain seems to be a precondition for this kind of sport. If pain weren’t involved, who in the world would ever go to the trouble of taking part in sports like the triathlon or the marathon, which demand such an investment of time and energy? It’s precisely because of the pain, precisely because we want to overcome that pain, that we can get the feeling, through this process, of really being alive—or at least a partial sense of it. Your quality of experience is based not on standards such as time or ranking, but on finally awakening to an awareness of the fluidity within action itself. If things go well, that is.

19. Whether it’s good for anything or not, cool or totally uncool, in the final analysis what’s most important is what you can’t see but can feel in your heart. To be able to grasp something of value, sometimes you have to perform seemingly inefficient acts.

20. I’ll age one more year, and probably finish another novel. One by one, I’ll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can.

21. From out of the failures and joys I always try to come away having grasped a concrete lesson. (It’s got to be concrete, no matter how small it is.)

22. In other words, let's face it: Life is basically unfair. But even in a situation that's unfair, I think it's possible to seek out a kind of fairness. Of course, that might take time and effort. And maybe it won't seem to be worth all that. It's up to each individual to decide whether or not it is.

2. It seemed unreasonable, unfair, that a woman so young and beautiful should be so exhausted. Of course, it was neither unreasonable nor unfair. Exhaustion pays no mind to age or beauty.

3. It left me wondering how the ancient Egyptians filled their days, what little pleasures they enjoyed as they whiled their weary way to death. Learning to swim, wrapping mummies. And the sum accomplishment of that you call a civilization.

4. How I managed to support myself. Yet never managed to go anywhere. Never went anywhere, but aged all the same. How nothing touched me. And I touched nothing. How I'd lost track of what mattered. How I worked like a fool for things that didn't. How it didn't make a difference either way. How I was losing form. The tissues hardening, stiffening from within. Terrifying me.

5. Tendencies. You got tendencies. So even if you did everything over again, your whole life, you got tendencies to do just what you did, all over again.

6. You gotta dance. As long as the music plays. You gotta dance. Don't even think why. Start to think, your feet stop. Your feet stop, we get stuck. We get stuck, you're stuck. So don't pay any mind, no matter how dumb. You gotta keep the step. You gotta limber up. You gotta loosen what you bolted down. You gotta use all you got. We know you're tired, tired and scared. Happens to everyone, okay? Just don't let you feet stop.

7. The things kids can memorize. Always the most meaningless, idiotic lines.

8. Some people say that's escapism. But that's fine by me. I live my life, you live yours. If you're clear about what you want, then you can live any way you please

9. I'd never eaten with a movie star before. What was one supposed to wear anyway?

10. Maybe because as you get older, things fall apart, so something needs to help hold things together.

11. “You're not such a bad cook," Yuki said.
"No, not true. I just put my heart into it. That's the difference. It's a question of attitude. If you really work at something, you can do it, up to a point. If you really work at being happy, you can do it, up to a point."

12. You really know how to depress people, don't you? Is that what you call being adult?

13. The world was doing very well without me.

14. Could pigs distinguish between a Maserati and Subaru?

15. "And I'm not a burden on you?" "Maybe you are and maybe you aren't. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. I want to be with you because I like you.

16. Sometimes when I'm with you, I remember things I lost when I was your age. Like I remember the sound of the rain and the smell of the wind. And it's really a gift, getting these things back. 

17. As time goes on, you'll understand. What lasts, lasts; what doesn't, doesn't. Time solves most things. And what time can't solve, you have to solve yourself.

18. People die all the time. Life is a lot more fragile than we think. So you should treat others in a way that leaves no regrets. Fairly, and if possible, sincerely. It's too easy not to make the effort, then weep and wring your hands after the person dies. 

19. When I was little, I had this science book. There was a section on "What would happen to the world if there was no friction?" Answer: "Everything on earth would fly into space from the centrifugal force of revolution." That was my mood.

20. I guess it was a dream. Either that or some act akin to dreaming. What, you may ask, is an "act akin to dreaming"? I don't know either. But it seems it does exist. Like so many other things we have no name for, existing in that limbo beyond the fringes of consciousness.

21. I don't want to be alone anymore. Without you I'll be flung out to the far corners of the universe. Show your face, please, tie me down somewhere. Tie me to this world. I don't want to join the ghosts. I'm just an ordinary guy. I need you.

22. “You still want me, now that it's morning?" she asked.
"I still want you," I said. "I want you more than I wanted you yesterday."
"I've never had anyone want me so much before."
"No one's ever wanted you?"
"Not the way you do," she said. "It's like being in a nice, warm room. Nice and cozy."
"Well, stay put. There's no reason ever to leave."
"Are you going to stay put?"
"Yes, I'm going to stay put.”

23. If you listen carefully, you can hear these things. If you look carefully, you'll see what you're after.

24. And someone was crying for me. Crying for me because I couldn't cry.

25. I cried inside. I cried for all that I'd lost and all that I'd lose.

Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami is an emotional and though-provoking novel about loss and moving on. The protagonist, Tsukuru Tazaki goes through a traumatic event, whereby his four closest and dearest friends leave him without any form of explanation. Unable to deal with the sudden loss, he is crippled with the fear of forming close relationships with anyone new. He has drifted through life ever since. 

Being an avid train lover and train engineer, Tsukuru surveys the wave commuters entering and leaving the station. However, he realizes that unlike these commuters who are all heading to a certain destination, he himself has nowhere to go. 

Tsukuru's emotions are hauntingly familiar, feelings most of us have experienced. He grieves from loss and is bewildered and scarred by the departure of his friends. He has barricaded his heart and numbed his emotions. and has developed a fear of falling too deeply in love. He questions the very meaning of life. 

Above all, this traumatic loss caused him to feel incredibly alone and invisible. Sometimes loneliness draws a veil over us, causing us to forget that this isolation we feel is not unique to ourselves. So, if I can seek solace in one thing, it is that Murakami reminds me that I'm not alone when it comes to being lonely. 

While reading the book, I was half expecting something surreal and supernatural to occur. Surprisingly, this book is more grounded and was more focused on being philosophical, thus making it Murakami's most profound book to date. It bears themes on loss, self-identity and existential meaning, which were explored in his previous books like 1Q84 and Kafka on the Shore. 

For the souls out there who have experienced loss, this book is your ticket to join Tsukuru in his journey to moving on. 

Noteworthy Quotes from the novel:

1. I really should have died then (...) Then this world, the one in the here and now, wouldn't exist. It was a captivating, bewitching thought. The present world wouldn't exist, and reality would no longer be real. As far as this world was concerned, he would simply no longer exist—just as this world would no longer exist for him.

2. I felt alone, but not especially lonely. I guess I just took that for granted.

3. Maybe you needed to talk with somebody. More than you ever imagined.

4. Tsukuru lived at death's door. He set up a tiny place to dwell, all by himself, on the rim of a dark abyss. A perilous spot, teetering on the edge, where, if he rolled over in his sleep, he might plunge into the depth of the void. Yet he wasn't afraid. All he thought about was how easy it would be to fall in.

5. Because I really am on the brink of death. I've survived, but barely—I've been clinging to this world like the discarded shell of an insect stuck to a branch, about to be blown off forever by a gust of wind. But that fact—that he looked like someone about to die—struck him again, forcefully.

6. Talent might be ephemeral.

7. It's just that, for me, what's worthwhile in life has become a burden, something I can't shoulder anymore.

8. People came to him, but in the end they always left. They came, seeking something, but either they couldn't find it, or were unhappy with what they found (or else they were disappointed or angry), and then they left.

9. Words don't come out when you're hurt that deeply.

10. Whatever the circumstances might have been, she didn't deserve to die like that. But at the same time I couldn't help but feel that the life had already been sucked out of her, even before she was physically murdered.

11. Still, being able to feel pain was good, he thought. It's when you can't even feel any pain anymore that you're in real trouble.

12. "It sounds kind of complicated."

"Maybe too complicated for me to explain in English." Olga laughed.

"Some things in life are too complicated to explain in any language."Tsukuru nodded.

13. But something was definitely abnormal. It wasn't like I was confused, though. My mind was perfectly clear. Utterly still, with no static at all. A very strange condition, now that I think back on it.

14. And in that moment, he was finally able to accept it all. In the deepest recesses of his soul, understood. One heart is not connected to another through harmony alone.

15. We survived. You and I. And those who survive have a duty. Our duty is to do our best to keep on living. Even if our lives are not perfect.

16. That amazing time in our lives is gone, and will never return. All the beautiful possibilities we had then have been swallowed up in the flow of time.

17. All sorts of dark thoughts come to me. No matter how much I try to avoid them.

18. A formless, transparent sorrow. A sorrow he could touch, yet something that was also far away, out of reach. Pain struck him, as if gouging out his chest, and he could barely breathe.

19. And for him right now, losing sight of where he actually was felt good.

20. It honestly and delicately expressed, in a full, tangible way, what it meant to be alive.

21. His body was covered in sweat, his heart still beating out the dry cadence of time passing.

22. All the lost possibilities, all the time that was never to return.

23. “The parent birds are teaching their babies how to chirp,” Eri said. And she smiled. “Until I came here I never knew that. That birds have to be taught how to chirp.”

24. Why must the workings of people's lives be so convoluted?

25. How much of one's life was snatched away to simply vanish as a result of this (most likely) pointless movement from point A to point B?

26. The heart apparently doesn't stop that easily.

27. But there are countless things in the world for which affection is not enough. Life is long, and sometimes cruel. Sometimes victims are needed. Someone has to take on that role. And human bodies are fragile, easily damaged. Cut them, and they bleed.

28. Not everything was lost in the flow of time.

29. It was a wonderful thing to be able to truly want someone.

Sociopathy has long been associated with negativity. Think about sociopaths, and infamous criminals like Jack the Ripper comes to mind, who terrorized the streets of London in the 1880s with gut wrenching (literally) murders.

It's known that sociopaths tend to lack social conscience and the capacity to love. However, M.E. Thomas, the author of Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight, brings a fresh and positive perspective to the term "sociopath". She argues that the traits of a sociopath are not necessarily negative, some being neutral or even positive. 

Sociopaths tend to be charming, fearless, confident, charismatic and independent due to their failure to conform to social norms - all of which work to making them successful in business. Thus it is not surprising that sociopaths make extremely good CEOs, lawyers, and salespeople. We could learn a couple of things from these are the high-functioning sociopaths, who live undetected among us, tactfully carving their way towards success. 

Based on M.E. Thomas' book, here are some of the Things We Can Learn From a Sociopath:

1. Do not seek affirmation from others

Stop caring about what people think of you, and you'd experience a newfound sense of freedom. You'd finally feel free, like a prisoner who has been unshackled from the chains of judgment. You'd be happier that way. 

2. Do not confuse love and understanding

Sometimes, we think we love someone just because they understand us well. But don't mistake their understanding as affection, as their desire to uncover every inch of your soul does not equate to love. And just because someone truly comprehends you, it doesn't mean that they love you.  

4. Love is the way to one's heart

People are starving for love. We want it, we crave for it. While sociopaths might make use of this knowledge unscrupulously for manipulation, we can choose to be kinder to others just because the world is in deep need for love. 

5. There is rationality in morality

The line between what constitutes an immoral and moral action is often blurred; The same action might be accepted in certain societies, but frowned upon in others. But as M.E. Thomas points out, behind every "moral" argument, there is a rational explanation. So if you ever find yourself confused, turn towards rationality for some clarity. 

Time to embrace our inner sociopath.

The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank by Willy Lindwer

Anne Frank is possibly the most famous female in the world. Her diary has been read by millions of people in different languages, shedding light to the darkness of events during World War II. This book is a compilation of the interviews of the women who knew Anne Frank, revealing stories of great courage in times of horror. From the accounts of these 6 incredibly brave women, these particular phrases in the book hit me hard. Here are the quotes.

Hannah Elisabeth Pick-Goslar

1. He really became happy again. I have asked myself: How can you live like that, only in the past? Apparently he was able to set that aside. I don't believe that he was a broken man later. - Hannah Elisabeth Pick-Goslar on Otto Frank after the war

2. "What's the matter?"

"Last night, they took away my wife."

It was terrible. I still get chills when I think about it, seeing that man standing in front of the class. He had no children, I thought. His wife was everything to him. He went home and his wife wasn't there. That's how it was.

3. It wasn't the same Anne. She was a broken girl.

Janny Brandes-Brilleslijper

1. Racism - You don't notice that until you're older.

2. If there's fighting to be done, you just to have to stand and fight. That has always been true. It was that way throughout the war. You have to be true to yourself- you can never be something you are not, and you can't fool yourself.

3. It is the worst evil in the world. Setting people against each other because of their skin color or because someone has a little more than someone else. - Janny on Facism

4. In my thoughts, I had said goodbye to everything.

5. It wasn't all tears... We tried to keep each other going.

6. I remember something very nice about the French girls. They had been shaved completely bald. They found a little piece of glass and a small comb with three prongs. With that they combed their eyebrows, looking into the little mirror. Then they tied clothes around their heads and looked again to see if they weren't still a little bit elegant. I find such things delightful. The Nazis to set countries and nations against each other and to attack and take away a person's best quality - his dignity. And so I find people like those French girls so marvelous - those girls who fixed up their eyebrows with a little dirt in order to look a little better - really what the French call esprit, the strength not to give up, not to knuckle under. Never. 

7. At that moment there was only happiness. Only the happiness of seeing each other. - Janny on seeing Anne and Margot Frank in the camps.

8. To keep on going, to keep you grief to yourself, and to control yourself, and then to have someone else break the tension, and suddenly be freed.

9. All discrimination - whatever form it takes - is evil and that the world can go to pieces because of it.

Rachel Van Amerongen-Frankfoorder

1. And everywhere, you saw the despair. It was a terrible, hopeless existence

2. That pity for others was pity for yourself, and I absolutely didn't want that. Because once you started, then you would gradually fall apart. And that was really my strength.

3. But you don't learn to live with death.

4. You stayed alive, but don't ask how, sick and powerless, with so many dead around you.

5. Maybe I was able to survive because I had a bit more knowledge of life, a bit more will to live as well. I am assuming that, because I have it to this day. Everytday I can still enjoy life - which sounds strange - but that's how it is. I try to make a celebration of every day of my life.

6. I think that was a decisive factor, that particular spiritual strength.

Bloeme Evers - Emden

1. Derealization is when reality is not experienced as reality: this cannot be true; this doesn't exist. and depersonalization, that is the phenomenon of a split personality: I stood to the side - and saw myself simultaneously walk on; object and subject at the same time. You are the object of your own observation, and at the same time, you are the subjects who walks off, or who is hungry, or who is suffering.

2. I became very depressed knowing that such things existed. I didn't want to accept it. I had been brought up with respect for all people, insofar as they earned it on the basis of personal achievement or conduct, but not on the basis of race or heritage. I saw that the philosophy behind this system was carried out under the banner of a kind of inequality - an inferiority opposed to a superiority - and that the inferiors had to be crushed, whatever it took. To know this, and to be penetrated by this reality, was shattering. 

3. When someone is sick and doesn't know what disease he has, it is very frightening. But when a diagnosis is made, even if the diagnosis is bad news, you feel relief because you realize what you're up against. Now we never knew what we were up against.

4. Although they tried to drive home the idea of how worthless we were, just blöde Kühe (stupid cows), we never felt we were Untermenschen (subhumans). 

5. That was a thing of beauty from another world. A fragment of something esthetic which you had already completely forgotten existed. - Bloeme on when a Hungarian woman sang during the camp

6. I remember that once I was standing at roll call without any hope. Lenie stood behind me. She nudged me when the SS man wasn't looking for a moment, and said, "Do you see those mountains there - those snow-capped mountains? When we are liberated, we are going to dust them off." The power to say something like that kept you on your feet. These things were of immense significance. 

7. I've read a lot about people who did disintegrate, people whose personalities changed because of their experiences in the camp. However, that didn't happen among us. I went in and came out again with the same character. Virtues and vices were perhaps intensified, but whoever was proud when she entered the camps, left them proud, in a manner of speaking. Whoever had a warm heart, had very opportunity to develop it further. 

8. You were deeply convinced, and no one had to tell you, that their values were invalid and their norms were not norms at all. That what you had brought with you was inviolable. Your set of values, your conduct, what you deemed to be good and what you found to be evil - you brought that with you from your upbringing, from your environment, and from everything that contributed to that. 

Lennie de Jong - van Naarden

1. Those children expected so much from life. - Lennie on Anne and the other young girls in camp

2. Who knows, we may survive...

3. La guerre est finie (The war is over). 

4. For the second time in all that time, I cried - but now from happiness and thankfulness. 

5. Without each other, we wouldn't have made it. 

Ronnie Goldstein - van Cleef

1. "Now, we're finished." And then he quickly added, "But they'll never catch us." - Ronnie's dad on the German invasion

2. It had to be done and I did it.

3. I will survive. I said that then, which was naturally very arrogant, because you actually couldn't know. 

4. But there were moments, when you were so terribly helpless, because there was no one to help you; they weren't allowed to help you. You just had to see how you could manage by yourself. 

5. Sometimes, I had the feeling that I was just living from one moment to the nextl it was so chaotic. 

6. How can I find tranquility,

Year later, the tumult of the men resounds,

The swishing of their whips,

Above the people being pushed along,

And stamping of boots,

Cries of anguish.

I have seen so many go to a desperate death,

Across a dirt path, on which their weakened feet

Dragged them to the gate. 

Smoke cannot speak,

From the chimneys, they slip out, formless, above my head,

And are taken by the wind,

Robbed of their bones. 

Since then, despite my clothes, I'm naked,

And remain exposed to synonyms. 

Therefore, it is not tranquil within,

The whips are still lashing,

And at the most unexpected times,

The packing paper pictures come forth,

Chilly, yellowed, gray from smoke,

And stiff with death, at night, when I went to sleep. 

1. It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.

2. You did not know where to look, and so you missed all that was important.

3. You have a grand gift of silence. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.

4. Weakness in one limb is often compensated for by exceptional strength in the others.

5. It is not cold which makes me shiver.

6. A vague feeling of impending misfortune impressed me.

7. To me at least there was a strange contrast between the sweet promise of the spring and this sinister quest upon which we were engaged.

8. Ah, me! it’s a wicked world, and when a clever man turns his brains to crime it is the worst of all.

9. Absolute and complete silence before, during, and after? No reference to the matter at all, either in word or writing?

10. For a while he could not get his words out, but swayed his body and plucked at his hair like one who has been driven to the extreme limits of his reason.

11. Keep your forgiveness for those who ask for it.

12. To the man who loves art for its own sake (...) it is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived. 

13. I have frequently gained my first real insight into the character of parents by studying their children.