Once in awhile, apart from my rants and musings on life and photography, I will also recommend books that I wish you'd read before we all go up in that big classical concert in the sky. Or the rave, intoxicating, foam party underneath. One such book that you should get hold of before that happens is "The Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson. It is one of the most fascinating books I've come across recently.

It's a big tome, comprising of almost 700 pages of interesting, at times poignantly funny anecdotes, about a world trying to discover its importance amidst billions of other worlds. It also has 100 over pages of notes, bibliography and indices to give you an idea how thoroughly well researched it is.

In this book you will learn, for instance, that when Albert Einstein proposed the Special Theory of Relativity (which is arguably the theory that changed the way science looked at the universe) he was merely a third class technical examiner in a small patent office in Bern. Apparently his latest application for second class promotion was rejected. His application as a university lecturer was also rejected. Bringing down his lofty ambition, Albert Einstein decided to apply as a high school teacher. This, too, was rejected.

In this book, you will also appalingly learn that Thomas Midgley, Jr., the guy who invented tetraethyl lead (lead gasoline among other things) in 1923 (which causes brain and kidney failure, cancer, destroy the nervous system, causes coma or death to name just a few symptoms) was also the one who invented chlorofluorocarbons, better known as CFC.

With tetraethyl lead, he gave Americans 625 times more lead in their blood than people before 1923. With CFC, he gave the world one of the most destructive man-made gas to devour the ozone layer in the stratosphere. There was no CFC in the atmosphere before he was born.

As we all know, without ozone, we'll all suffer from radiation burns. Unless of course you live under the sea, underground or you wear protective suits 24-hours a day. In fact, life on earth would not be possible.

To give you a rough idea how destructive CFC is, a single ozone molecule can absorb heat from ultraviolet radiation 10 thousand times more efficient than a molecule of carbon dioxide. But a single kilogram of CFCs can destroy 70,000 kilogram of atmospheric ozone.

And the ozone layer is just 2 millimetres thick. Go figure the chances of the ozone surviving that. Or us in the end. Because while the production of CFC is banned in some countries, the use is not. Illegal imports of CFCs in the US, for example, still amount to 20 million pounds per year - coming from countries without ban on CFCs yet. The present levels of CFC (without further addition) will continue to destroy the ozone up to 100 years.

Sorry if I digressed. I just can't stand nor fathom this monumental display of sheer lunacy.

But despite all these sad information, the book is not all grim and dismal. It's a wonderful book. It's not historical in a sense of how historical book goes. Bill Bryson's writing has intelligent clarity that is neither boring nor pontifical. The language is neither highfalutin nor ornate.

In the end, you will look at the world through different eyes. In hope that you'll treat it differently.

And when you finished reading the "The Short History of Nearly Everything", share it with someone close to you. For what is seeing the glory of the universe if you have nobody to share it with?

Then you'll both know how frighteningly beautiful (and beautifully frightening) the universe is. Click.