Books I'm Reading:
A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius
This week: 342
Last week: 457
Semester: 1877
Sentences:
1. "And if dead people aged, wouldn't it be a comfort? To think of Ethan growing up in heaven - fourteen years old now instead of twelve - eased the grief a little. Oh, it was their immunity to time that made the dead so heartbreaking."
2. "It seemed she had webbed his mind with her stories, wound him in slender steely threads from her life - her Shirley Temple childhood, unsavory girlhood, Norman flinging the screen out the window, Alexander mewing like a newborn kitten, Muriel wheeling on Doberman pinschers and scattering her salmon-pink business cards and galloping down the beach, all spiky limbs and flying hair, hauling a little red wagon full of lunches."
3. "Of all the things I am not very good at, living in the real world is perhaps the most outstanding."
(All from "The Accidental Tourist")
As much as I dislike mushy romance novels (which doesn't exactly identify this book but comes somewhat close), these quotes called out to me.
Showing posts with label update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label update. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Currently
Books I'm Reading:
None. I've finished all my books.
I am, however, planning on reading:
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
This week: 457
Last week: 138
Semester: 1535
Sentences(passages) of the week: (All from "Battle Hymn")
1. "Of course, I also wanted Sophia to benefit from the best aspects of American society. I did not want her to end up like one of those weird Asian automatons who feel so much pressure from their parents that they kill themselves after coming in second on the national civil service exam. I wanted her to be well rounded and to have hobbies and activities. Not just any activity, like "crafts" which can lead nowhere - or even worse, playing the drums, which leads to drugs - but rather a hobby that was meaningful and highly difficult with the potential for depth and virtuosity. And that's where the piano came in."
2. "One jarring thing that many Chinese people do is openly compare their children. I never thought this was so bad when I was growing up, because I always came off well in the comparison. My Dragon Lady grandmother - the rich one, on my father's side - egregiously favored me over all my sisters. 'Look how flat that one's nose is,' she would cackle at family gatherings, pointing at one of my siblings. 'Not like Amy, who has a fine, high-bridged nose. Amy looks like a Chua. That one takes after her mother's side of the family. and looks like a monkey.'"
3. "The Chinese parenting approach is weakest when it comes to failure; it just doesn't tolerate that possibility."
First of all, everyone knows that learning the drums leads to drug use. There have been 5 cases of people I knew who started learning drums, only to be tempted by drugs. Drums and drugs: the two are interchangeable. Of course, I exaggerate greatly. However, that is sort of the mindset that Asian parents have. If you do something that your parents disapprove of, it will automatically lead to the worst possible result without fail. Sometimes, I really hate that mindset.
2nd quote. Again, something I dislike from the Asian parenting method. While Amy Chua explains why parents do it in her novel (to express confidence in the child on the losing end that they, too, can be like the child on the winning end), it's still incredibly tedious to hear parents say, "Oh, look at so-and-so, he/she can do such-and-such. How are you so worthless as to not be able to do such-and-such?"
3rd quote. Failure includes yelling, constant nagging, and threats, so yeah, I'd say failure is intolerable.
None. I've finished all my books.
I am, however, planning on reading:
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
This week: 457
Last week: 138
Semester: 1535
Sentences(passages) of the week: (All from "Battle Hymn")
1. "Of course, I also wanted Sophia to benefit from the best aspects of American society. I did not want her to end up like one of those weird Asian automatons who feel so much pressure from their parents that they kill themselves after coming in second on the national civil service exam. I wanted her to be well rounded and to have hobbies and activities. Not just any activity, like "crafts" which can lead nowhere - or even worse, playing the drums, which leads to drugs - but rather a hobby that was meaningful and highly difficult with the potential for depth and virtuosity. And that's where the piano came in."
2. "One jarring thing that many Chinese people do is openly compare their children. I never thought this was so bad when I was growing up, because I always came off well in the comparison. My Dragon Lady grandmother - the rich one, on my father's side - egregiously favored me over all my sisters. 'Look how flat that one's nose is,' she would cackle at family gatherings, pointing at one of my siblings. 'Not like Amy, who has a fine, high-bridged nose. Amy looks like a Chua. That one takes after her mother's side of the family. and looks like a monkey.'"
3. "The Chinese parenting approach is weakest when it comes to failure; it just doesn't tolerate that possibility."
First of all, everyone knows that learning the drums leads to drug use. There have been 5 cases of people I knew who started learning drums, only to be tempted by drugs. Drums and drugs: the two are interchangeable. Of course, I exaggerate greatly. However, that is sort of the mindset that Asian parents have. If you do something that your parents disapprove of, it will automatically lead to the worst possible result without fail. Sometimes, I really hate that mindset.
2nd quote. Again, something I dislike from the Asian parenting method. While Amy Chua explains why parents do it in her novel (to express confidence in the child on the losing end that they, too, can be like the child on the winning end), it's still incredibly tedious to hear parents say, "Oh, look at so-and-so, he/she can do such-and-such. How are you so worthless as to not be able to do such-and-such?"
3rd quote. Failure includes yelling, constant nagging, and threats, so yeah, I'd say failure is intolerable.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Currently (Week the Third)
Books I'm reading:
American Shaolin by Matthew Polly
This week: 138 pages
Last week: 534 pages
This semester: 1078 pages
Sentences of the week:
1. "For some reason, the Chinese are not very fond of eggs. 'Stupid egg,' 'bad egg,' and worst of all, 'turtle's egg' are common insults." -American Shaolin
2. "Life is a one-shot deal." -Same book
3. "What struck me the most was not the devotion of the monks, which was evident, but rather an overwhelming feeling of alienation. Standing in that room, I felt as alone as I'd ever felt, a stranger in a strange land. Suddenly, I realized how desperately far away from home I was. It took my breath away, and I had to fight an instinct to flee the room." -Same book
I've definitely heard of stupid egg and bad egg as insults as stated in the first quote, but never have I heard of turtle's egg. And believe me, I have heard all of these insults while I attended first grade in China: someone who didn't do well on a test would be labeled a stupid egg while we would label unsavory characters in cartoons bad eggs. I can definitely relate to this quote.
As for the second quote, life is definitely a one-shot deal. That's why I don't get the people who contemplate suicide or murder. Why would someone extinguish his own or someone else's life when that life is all each person has? This world lives in the moment, but does not pause to consider the gravity of its decisions.
Third quote: I definitely felt this way for a while after I immigrated to America. All my friends and family members were back in China, and although there were Chinese people in my grade school back then, I couldn't relate to them because they were more Americanized than me. Eventually, I grew to accomodate American life, but I've never forgotten that feeling of loneliness.
American Shaolin by Matthew Polly
This week: 138 pages
Last week: 534 pages
This semester: 1078 pages
Sentences of the week:
1. "For some reason, the Chinese are not very fond of eggs. 'Stupid egg,' 'bad egg,' and worst of all, 'turtle's egg' are common insults." -American Shaolin
2. "Life is a one-shot deal." -Same book
3. "What struck me the most was not the devotion of the monks, which was evident, but rather an overwhelming feeling of alienation. Standing in that room, I felt as alone as I'd ever felt, a stranger in a strange land. Suddenly, I realized how desperately far away from home I was. It took my breath away, and I had to fight an instinct to flee the room." -Same book
I've definitely heard of stupid egg and bad egg as insults as stated in the first quote, but never have I heard of turtle's egg. And believe me, I have heard all of these insults while I attended first grade in China: someone who didn't do well on a test would be labeled a stupid egg while we would label unsavory characters in cartoons bad eggs. I can definitely relate to this quote.
As for the second quote, life is definitely a one-shot deal. That's why I don't get the people who contemplate suicide or murder. Why would someone extinguish his own or someone else's life when that life is all each person has? This world lives in the moment, but does not pause to consider the gravity of its decisions.
Third quote: I definitely felt this way for a while after I immigrated to America. All my friends and family members were back in China, and although there were Chinese people in my grade school back then, I couldn't relate to them because they were more Americanized than me. Eventually, I grew to accomodate American life, but I've never forgotten that feeling of loneliness.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Teh Update
Books I'm reading:
None - I finished all my current books this week.
This week: 534 pages
Last week: 406 pages
This semester: 940 pages
Sentences of the week:
1. "Faggy color names (alphabetized)
bisque
cerise
chartreuse
conch
cornflower
corn silk
fern
goldenrod
honeydew
leather
lichen
lox
mica
moccasin
opal
plum
saddle brown
shiraz
snow
thistle
yolk"
JPod, Douglas Coupland
2. "Don't let some guy named Vinnie take you on any long drives out into the desert." 21, Ben Mezrich
3. "A whale is someone who can lose a million dollars at cards - and not give a damn." 21, Ben Mezrich
How dare he label snow a 'faggy' color. I can understand goldenrod, but snow? It's just a more non-mainstream way to say white. I mean, who wants boring old white when you can have snow? That's the first sentence anyway.
The last two sentences make me want to try my hand at playing blackjack. Can't you hear the undertone of excitement and glamor in those sentences? Lawl.
None - I finished all my current books this week.
This week: 534 pages
Last week: 406 pages
This semester: 940 pages
Sentences of the week:
1. "Faggy color names (alphabetized)
bisque
cerise
chartreuse
conch
cornflower
corn silk
fern
goldenrod
honeydew
leather
lichen
lox
mica
moccasin
opal
plum
saddle brown
shiraz
snow
thistle
yolk"
JPod, Douglas Coupland
2. "Don't let some guy named Vinnie take you on any long drives out into the desert." 21, Ben Mezrich
3. "A whale is someone who can lose a million dollars at cards - and not give a damn." 21, Ben Mezrich
How dare he label snow a 'faggy' color. I can understand goldenrod, but snow? It's just a more non-mainstream way to say white. I mean, who wants boring old white when you can have snow? That's the first sentence anyway.
The last two sentences make me want to try my hand at playing blackjack. Can't you hear the undertone of excitement and glamor in those sentences? Lawl.
Monday, August 29, 2011
As Of Now
Books I'm reading:
JPod, Douglas Coupland
The Dark Tower IV: Song of Susannah, Stephen King
This week: 406 pages
Sentences of the week:
1. "Occasionally someone would ask to see 'the baby' and when I opened the blanket, would leap back shrieking, 'What is that?! A dinosaur?' Apparently, the world is full of educated adults with mortgages and stock portfolios who think that people are walking around grocery stores with dinosaurs in their arms." Wesley the Owl, Stacey O'Brien
2. "Mark brought shame upon the family after he signed up for the local community college's Clown Program. He says the program will put him into the clown fast track, but he's now dead to us." JPod, Douglas Coupland
3. "'We’re having a contest – we’re trying to see if there’s any way to hold a knife and walk across a room and not look psycho.'
'And?'
'It's impossible.'" Same book as #2
What can I say? These quotes are funny. I do think, though, that you can walk across a room with a knife and not look psycho. (It has to be a butter knife.)
JPod, Douglas Coupland
The Dark Tower IV: Song of Susannah, Stephen King
This week: 406 pages
Sentences of the week:
1. "Occasionally someone would ask to see 'the baby' and when I opened the blanket, would leap back shrieking, 'What is that?! A dinosaur?' Apparently, the world is full of educated adults with mortgages and stock portfolios who think that people are walking around grocery stores with dinosaurs in their arms." Wesley the Owl, Stacey O'Brien
2. "Mark brought shame upon the family after he signed up for the local community college's Clown Program. He says the program will put him into the clown fast track, but he's now dead to us." JPod, Douglas Coupland
3. "'We’re having a contest – we’re trying to see if there’s any way to hold a knife and walk across a room and not look psycho.'
'And?'
'It's impossible.'" Same book as #2
What can I say? These quotes are funny. I do think, though, that you can walk across a room with a knife and not look psycho. (It has to be a butter knife.)
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