tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-134416532024-03-07T03:26:00.010-05:00a bookworm's musingsBookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090853138337356722noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-87793032953533373682013-07-19T21:14:00.001-04:002013-07-19T21:14:15.671-04:00Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl<p dir=ltr>This book started out slow and I got lost in all the characters but it eventually picked up and I could not put it down. I just finished it this morning and secretly read it at my desk when I was waiting for my computer to turn on. It reminded me of a few things.</p>
<p dir=ltr>When we are teenagers, we live in a bubble and can be naive and reckless. We act fearless but we are fearful and trying to figure out who we are and where we belong. Honestly as an adult I know I still haven't figured it out yet. Pessl captures that so well with the crew of the Bluebloods. But also teenagers are smarter and more perceptive than we give them credit for. </p>
<p dir=ltr>Things are not always what they seem. Sometimes the truth is painful and learning it makes you lose everything. It can set you free from anxiety but it can never go back to the way it was.</p>
<p dir=ltr>"Sometimes it takes more courage not to let yourself see. Sometimes knowledge is damaging - not enlightenment but unleadenment. If one recognizes the difference and prepares oneself - it is extraordinarily brave."</p>
<p dir=ltr>I read this quote 144 pages in and after finishing the book I realize it was clearly foreshadowing. </p>
<p dir=ltr>I recommend this book also because the writing is quite unique. Pessl has written it like a thesis with a lot of literary and well thought quotes and references that give insight into the story. </p>
shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-39032811866641464862013-07-09T11:02:00.000-04:002013-07-09T11:02:52.955-04:00A super delayed catch up post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was re-reading this blog recently and it made me realize how much I enjoyed reading and reflecting, which I insist upon continue doing on this blog again! Books have taken me on so many adventures for free (thank you public library!).<br />
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It has been nearly a year since I posted on this blog so I wanted to name the books and series I have read.<br />
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My co-worker is a big fan of Nora Roberts and let me borrow a bunch of books by her. I really enjoyed several of them, but the trilogies became quite formulaic and the excitement started to wear off. There were a few books by her that I quite enjoyed:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Lights-Nora-Roberts/dp/0515139742">Northern Lights</a>: A well-written story about a cop in a small town in Alaska. I felt like I learned a lot about the state and want to visit it someday.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Fall-Nora-Roberts/dp/0515143170">Angels Fall</a>: Also about a small town called Angels Fist. Also, well-written and worth taking a look at.<br />
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Some of the trilogies were very cliche about three women and three men who get together and how difficult that is. I was more interested in her supernatural trilogies like the Sign of Seven series and The Stunning Key trilogy. Sometimes I got frustrated with Nora's books because I felt petty and that the characters would often lack depth or strength. It certainly put me in an off-mood that I am unable to read some of her books now. However, I like how she portrays small towns and places that are often overlooked. My co-worker told me because Nora Roberts wrote about a small town in Maryland and apparently tourism boomed there afterwards. That is pretty cool.<br />
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I also jumped back on the self-discovery books and read <a href="http://www.happiness-project.com/">The Happiness Project</a> and <a href="https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php">Seven Habits of Highly Effective People</a>. For me, it's always good to go back to these type of books and remember my purpose and to always move forward constantly making things better and more interesting for myself. I had been at a point where I needed a reminder that only I can change myself.<br />
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I am on the hunt for some new books. I follow this site called <a href="http://medium.com/">medium.com</a> and read an interview with a person who seemed to have the same test in books as me. She recommended a book called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0143112120">Special Topics in Calamity Physics</a>, </i>which I hope is good! </div>
shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-30001801358041586372012-08-02T10:04:00.000-04:002013-07-19T21:02:32.913-04:00The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I could not put this book down. It's a heart-wrenching story about tissue research intertwined with the effects of poverty and racism. I am not a science person but I really enjoyed reading this book. Bioethics is truly a fascinating field. </div>shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-31615488954068873392012-08-02T10:03:00.000-04:002012-08-02T10:04:18.825-04:00Some catch up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been a long time since I wrote in this blog, so I thought it would be good to reflect on some of the books I have read in the past 6 months.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Immortal-Life-Henrietta-Lacks/dp/1400052173">The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</a>: I am not a science person, but this story of poverty, race, sexism, ethics entwined with the history of the HeLa cells is too fascinating. I could not put it down.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/India-Calling-Intimate-Portrait-Remaking/dp/1250001722/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343916021&sr=1-1&keywords=india+calling">India Calling</a>: Amazing. Any person of Indian origin that has lived abroad will find something to relate to in this book. It is not fiction, but one person's real account of growing up in the US and moving to India as an adult. He talks about the changing India and it's just completely relatable. A lot of what he says made complete sense to me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suburban-Sahibs-S-Mitra-Kalita/dp/0813536650/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343916053&sr=1-1&keywords=suburban+sahibs">Suburban Sahibs</a>: This book is about being Indian in Jersey and looks at real live families and their stories as immigrants settling in the area. Worth the read as well.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Islamic-Style-Amara-Lakhous/dp/1609450663/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343916077&sr=1-1&keywords=divorce+islamic+style">Divorce Islamic Style</a>: Recently, I went to Italy. I picked up this book from the library because of the interesting title but it turns out it is originally written in Italian and takes place in Rome! I have a general fascination with the lives of immigrants and this was an interesting fictional perspective of being Middle Eastern Muslim in Italy. I liked Amara Lakhous's writing style so I plan to read his other book.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565125606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343916109&sr=1-1&keywords=water+for+elephants">Water For Elephants</a>: This was well-written but the ending was underwhelming for me. It does give a nice insider view of circus life. </div>shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-27108514421673794222012-01-16T16:38:00.000-05:002012-01-16T16:38:06.593-05:00Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am weary of anyone who gets treated like a god. The way people worship expensive Macs and how some people treated Steve Jobs as a divine being bothered me. I barely knew anything about him other than that he was the founder of Apple. I only ever read/heard in the media of how private he kept his life and when he criticized another company like Flash or Microsoft.<br />
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With this book, I developed a new-found respect for Jobs. Very few people match his passion and his biography portrays his strengths and flaws. The guy lived on LSD as a student and is a Buddhist/Hare Ram Hare Krishna follower.<br />
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Worth the read.</div>shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-41684683926826065662011-12-09T15:14:00.001-05:002011-12-12T11:42:05.974-05:00Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This story is incredible. What's even more incredible about it is that is true. Roberts is a fantastic writer. The novel is about him - he is an escaped convict from Australia and somehow ends up in India. When his visa expires, he lives in a Mumbai slum establishing a free medical clinic and then gets entrenched in the Mumbai underworld.<br />
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Roberts writes beautifully but there is one quote that I want to share (<a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Shantaram">more can be found here</a>).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">"At first, when we truly love someone, our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us. What we should fear and dread instead is that we won't stop loving them, even after they are dead and gone."</span></blockquote>
There are very few people in the world I trust and love unconditionally. At many points in this book, I actually cried. To be loved wholeheartedly is a blessing.<br />
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Lin (Robert's adopted name in the book) goes to his friend's Prabahakar's village and meets his family. He is so overwhelmed with how welcoming they are and how they don't question anything about his past. I have never had that experience. I generally get bombarded with questions on all the things that stress me out like education (took the long route), work (job hunting fun times), marriage, etc. I finally reached a good point on all of those but the constant barraging always appeared like they didn't have faith in me. I wanted one person to just say I know you will figure it out even though it might not seem like it. South Asian people generally treat guests way better than their own family.<br />
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It doesn't matter where you live or what you do, when you feel like part of a community it makes all the difference. Lin lives in the slum and he becomes part of its diverse family. For once, he feels like he belongs. How much each neighbor cares for each other is quite amazing. I suppose when you are working towards a common goal of satisfying one's basic needs of food and shelter all the other differences like caste or religion don't seem important. When the basic needs are fulfilled however, humans tend to find other things that separate each other...<br />
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This book is definitely worth the read.<br />
<br /></div>shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-58050737301154672812011-10-16T17:16:00.000-04:002011-10-16T17:16:14.052-04:00The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Small novels are the perfect novels for long train rides to work. Even though I am tempted to take longer reads they are just way too heavy to carry when you need a free hand to hold onto a pole/bar. Anyway, this book was really good. For the simple reason that truth is often stranger than fiction. This is a memoir about a girl and her very unique and crazy parents. It's a wonder that she and her siblings are even alive and doing remarkably well now. There were two thoughts that came to my mind while reading this.<br />
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I am very blessed to have my parents. I know I don't acknowledge them enough though. Jeannette's parents basically leave their kids to fend for themselves, even though they always stay together as a family. Her parents' goals are not to provide them with the best they can offer them, but are just kind of there. There are several times where I think the kids take better care of their parents... It makes me wonder what is the "coddling line"? Parents cannot take care of every detail of their kids' lives, there has to be a point where they let go. I think a major goal of parents should be to teach their kids to be self-sufficient. It's something I don't often feel I know how to do. I don't blame my parents in any way of course; I think I am one of those people who needs to be "thrown into the water to learn how to swim". I never felt I learned to be somewhat self-sufficient until I was on my own in college and now working. If parents or someone always takes care of you - when is the point that a person will learn to take care of him/herself?<br />
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The second major thought that occurred to me is poverty a choice or circumstance? Jeannette really tries as an adult to get her parents off the street (they are homeless), but they refuse. They actually like living on the streets. It's hard to believe but as I read that novel I understood why the characters felt that way. They are free-spirited and being constrained to a certain location and to daily mundane routines would never work for them. I see many homeless poor people while walking to work. They solicit for money, etc. Is it by circumstance they end up there - could there be no other option than to resort to begging? However there is one guy who is my favorite. He shouts "Good morning!" to everyone that walks by in a loud, cheery voice. I think he sleeps on the bench in that park every day but he is happy and he doesn't ask for a penny. Is he there by choice?<br />
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Poverty is not a passive event. Or is it? I am not quite sure after reading this book. </div>shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-87314615524665484572011-07-18T16:14:00.002-04:002011-07-18T16:23:34.536-04:00Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy GreenwaldI haven't written in this blog for a while, life has happened. Lot has changed and much more to come! I haven't found the same pleasure in reading that I used to :( and I am determined to get that same rush again!<br /><br />I moved to a new library system (that's always wierd) and am getting used to the way they operate. I suppose I have been nostalgic about the days when I was a kid, which inspired me to pick up this book. I am a huuuge fan of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and picked this one up by chance to see if it fell in the same category.<br /><a href="http://rjjulia.indiebound.com/files/rjjulia/charlie_joe.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: right;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 347px; " src="http://rjjulia.indiebound.com/files/rjjulia/charlie_joe.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It wasn't that bad. The main character's only fault is that he doesn't like to read and will do anything to get out of doing it. I suppose I couldn't relate on a personal level because the protagonist seems to be pretty good at everything else! His friends never isolate him and everyone is so normal in his life. I wanted a character with more depth and slight angst and who makes mistakes, whose family is not normal, etc. Because seriously in whose life are people "normal" or "average"? I think it would have been nice if the author had linked not reading to meaning Charlie was not doing well at school either. How else would he know those big words and give awesome presentations? It just didn't fit exactly.<br /><br />Maybe younger kids might find this book a fun read, but it definitely doesn't cross over to the adult reader.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-77708996923528596232010-12-15T23:39:00.005-05:002010-12-16T00:06:22.950-05:00Things I Learned in Graduate School and Some Advice<div><b>Things I Learned in Graduate School</b></div><ol><li>No matter how much I study or "think" I know, I will never be good at taking tests.</li><li>Group projects are bipolar. Sometimes you learn a lot and feel accomplished, but mostly just get many headaches and want to cause some violence.</li><li>Everyone has an intellectual limit - I believe it's called a learning curve. I am pretty sure I hit the learning curve about 7 years ago and have skidded along since then.</li><li>The more I know, the less I realize I know.</li><li>Don't get your PhD unless you really, truly love researching a subject for 5 years of your life. (Thank God I'm not getting my PhD)</li><li>Undergrad is way better than graduate school in terms of the experience and the friends. As a graduate student, I pretty much knew where my classes were and where the food was.</li><li>Graduate school is not like undergrad. My classmates ranged from married housewives stuck on dependent visas to full-time employees who have been in the software field for 5+ years to international students who are not living with their parents for the first time in their life. Basically, being a student is not exactly their singular identity like it was for everyone in undergrad.</li></ol><div><br /></div><div><b>Things Teachers/Professors Should Do</b></div><div><ol><li>Never make an exam worth 50% of the total grade.</li><li>Always be clear on class expectations - not verbally, but written down on an actual sheet of paper or posted on Blackboard/class website.</li><li>Don't hand write lecture notes on the white board. Use powerpoint or the zillion of the other tools out there available on the computer. We don't live in the 1980's anymore.</li><li>Don't repeat verbatim what's on the lecture slides and then proceed to go through 100 of them. You seriously can't expect someone to learn or get any semblance of anything that way.</li><li>Treat students respectfully, don't look down upon them for their lack of knowledge. If they knew it already, why would they be taking the class?</li><li>Don't pawn parts of the dirty work of your research project onto students who don't necessarily understand the complexities of the 10 years of work you put into it. That does not make anyone look good.</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>Would anyone like to add?</div>shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-85106760449687339622010-11-14T18:53:00.002-05:002010-11-14T19:05:17.168-05:00the classroomPlease professor, you can't possibly think I can sit still for 2 hrs and 40 minutes and listen to a lecture with black and white slides and NO pictures.<br /><br />The best learning environment I had: When I was a first year in college, I had a class on the Lawn. It was a cramped room in one of the pavillions. It was one long, rectangular table that everyone sat around. One of the best classes ever. Everyone could see each other and it provided a comfortable environment to talk. For French 201, it was ideal because we simply turned to the person next to us and practiced speaking in French. In my opinion, the traditional classroom should be reconsidered.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-91332038625153973932010-11-02T15:44:00.001-04:002010-11-02T15:46:26.375-04:006 more weeks6 more weeks, 6 more weeks...and then no more school for a really, really long time. at least no more until after I pay off my student loans.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-23023630257034453552010-08-30T10:48:00.002-04:002010-08-30T10:53:03.794-04:00nervesI am NERVOUS. It's my last first day of school. EVER.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-31528612634381652782010-08-26T14:45:00.002-04:002010-08-26T14:47:27.984-04:0050 Books Every Geek Should Read<a href="http://insidetech.monster.com/training/articles/2818-50-books-every-geek-should-read?utm_source=nlet&utm_content=it_c1_20100826_booksforgeeks#">50 Books Every Geek Should Read</a><br /><br />I highly recommend Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, finally funny sci-fi.<br /><br />I plan on becoming a UI architect/designer so Steve Krug's <span style="font-style: italic;">Don't Make Me Think</span> really made me think about how to approach design (pun intended:P).shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-73722015560717432122010-08-26T14:40:00.003-04:002010-08-26T14:42:48.276-04:00Books that Apparently I should have Heard and Read AlreadyTwo series of popular books that everyone and their moms are apparently reading and I somehow missed hearing about until recently.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.stieglarsson.com/Millennium-series">The Millenium Trilogy</a>: Starting reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, SO INTRIGUING. I am trying so very carefully not to accidentally read any spoilers.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/about-the-book.htm">The Hunger Games</a>: Today the 3rd book Mockingjay came out and the blogs are abuzz as people go to midnight parties, etc.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-15777335425961752392010-08-19T10:56:00.002-04:002010-08-19T11:01:30.898-04:00World Humanitarian Day - Sharing my love for readingThe Room to Read foundation's motto is "World Changes Starts With Educated Children"<br /><br />LOVE LOVE LOVE!!<br /><br />That was exactly the premise of <span style="font-style: italic;">Three Cups of Tea. </span><span>Access to books makes a lot of difference. Increasing literacy is fundamental to helping young people in poverty-stricken areas. <br /></span><br />Must-read:<br /><a href="http://business.in.com/article/beyond-business/for-the-love-of-reading/15622/0#">For the Love of Reading</a><br /><br />Go to these sites to see how you can volunteer/contribute!<br /><a href="http://www.hrfindia.org/">http://www.hrfindia.org/</a><br /><a href="http://www.roomtoread.org/">http://www.roomtoread.org/</a>shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-64235633178010922942010-05-26T20:21:00.003-04:002010-05-26T20:30:29.540-04:00FOB vs ABCDFOB - is a degrading term for people not up to date on the culture which is an abbreviation for (Fresh Of the Boat.)<br />meaning you still carry your sense of fashion from your country which clashes with the current countries cultures.<br /><br />Origin: Hawaii 60's<br /><br />Local Hawaiians used it to refer to white people who came from mainland US to Hawaii. Its was used a lot by locals and surfers. it was to refer to white people who wasn't up to date on the culture.<br /><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fob">http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fob</a><br />-----<br />ABCD - (American Born Confused Desi) Term used to describe those of the Indian (South Asian) descent who are unaware of or are unwilling to outwardly project their Indian Heritage. The title is typically used by those of the same nationality but who are unwilling or unable to assimilate to a culture other than their own. <br /><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ABCD">http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ABCD</a><br /><br /><br />Today, someone called me an ABCD :(. She didn't say it intentionally and quickly explained that she called anyone who grew up in the US that. but it's still derogatory. FOB and ABCD are mean, hurtful terms that stereotype people. I am an individual and deserve to be treated so. I know I am guilty sometimes of grouping and judging people together, which I should stop doing. I try to have some self-awareness that I would like to be treated as a person with unique thoughts and actions and not part of some category. Just saying. Everyone should be aware of the terms they use to describe other people...shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-89013144126688836692010-04-27T17:25:00.002-04:002010-04-27T17:29:18.935-04:00inability to balanceI feel like a waitress carrying way too many trays than possible and trying hard not to drop a single one of them but give them all equal importance and help them reach their destinations. and I would really like to go on a break. I'm waiting for some of the orders for the trays and I and the customer is getting impatient. <br /><br />Cheesy analogy aside, I really really would like May 12th 6:30pm to be here right now and somehow I should have miraculously aced my final exams and completed all my projects to get straight A's. A girl can dream. I've reached that odd point where I just want to get everything over with. Wish me luck!!shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-63051031633880731072010-04-06T11:35:00.002-04:002010-04-06T11:53:34.865-04:00hazyI know I said I didn't have time to read. However I decided to make time because reading is one of the few things in my life that keeps me sane. I read Lovely Bones and Three Cups of Tea. Lovely Bones was well-written, but utterly depressing. After I read that I wanted to be a little girl forever.<br /><br />Three Cups of Tea is fantastic. An inspirational story about someone who takes action and makes a difference in the world. Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber who stumbles across a village in remote Pakistan and makes a promise to build them a school. And he actually does in addition to building 55 more around the country. He sees the power in educating young minds especially girls.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIvmE4_KMNw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIvmE4_KMNw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />Anyway, I felt like writing in this today because I feel like I am in a daze. I am taking classes with very high-level concepts that seem to go over my head. As if I am in a place where everyone speaks Chinese and I don't understand a word and there is no translator, but if I don't communicate somehow I will not get out of the situation. Maybe others are familiar with this feeling. I haven't had that feeling in a while - I did get that when I was taking these theory math classes in undergrad that made me want to cry on a daily basis. I feel stupid for not understanding, even though I should not. I have a lot of trouble getting through tasks/classes I do not enjoy. <br /><br />It's times like that when I want to curl up on the couch and watch Psych marathons and eat junk food :P. That does not unfortunately erase the inevitable task but merely postpones it. Wish me luck that I at least pass and it doesn't kill my GPA because I am defined by a number on my resume.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-85189506408127578552010-03-09T13:38:00.003-05:002010-03-09T13:39:19.450-05:00no time to read :(This semester has been quite insane, so I have not had time to read :(. I will hopefully get a chance to go back to enjoying books when summer rolls around again!shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-34084630412563468482010-01-18T22:09:00.002-05:002010-01-18T22:20:54.835-05:00Cutting for Stone by Abraham VergheseBasic story: About twin boys born of a forbidden union of a Indian nun nurse and a British doctor working together in Uganda. Who eventually grow up to become doctors. The book was good - I was curious to find out what happened to them at the end. To be frank though, I felt like the end was so cliche and utterly depressing.<br /><br />What it made me think of: Actually intrigued me to learn more about medicine and biology. I was impressed by the doctors in the fictional book who take such risks in surgeries and procedures in a developing nation during the time of political strife in Uganda.<br /><br />Something that struck me very personally: The main character and narrator of the novel loves a girl from childhood. She torments him, splits him from his brother, forces him to escape the country because of his affiliation with her, yet he still loves her when she comes to him broken and then also hurts him again. Why do we as people do this to ourselves? Is this blind love? No matter how much a person hurts us, we still love them? I understand this wrt parent-child love, but couple love? Is this desperation? Is this the fear that we have loved a person so much that we do not let anyone else into our hearts? From an objective viewpoint, I thought the protagonist was crazy and deserved infinitely better. Although personally, I empathize - it's a missed signal between the brain and heart that causes a person to do dumb, stupid things.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-6127168713365991872010-01-07T17:14:00.002-05:002010-01-07T17:26:56.242-05:002009 in booksIn terms of books for 2009, it was the year I became a fan of Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Hilary Clinton, PG Wodehouse (genius!!), Haruki Murakami, Malcolm Gladwell, and Jeff Kinney.<br /><br />Generally, I noticed that I got a lot of non-fiction books about social psychology - trying to understand people. I'll let you know if I ever figure that out haha. The books I read just reaffirmed what I know but kind of denied. We cannot control or change the people around us. The only people who we have that power over is ourselves. We are in charge of our own happiness. We cannot let people define us or let their actions affect us deeply. Nothing comes easily it takes time and hard work and the right environment to grow and become successful (10,000 hours right Malcolm?).<br /><br />I actually avoided serious, soul sapping novels such as Khalid Hosseini novels (exception: My Sister's Keeper I had to entertain myself on the plane somehow). I was drawn to light-hearted stories like the chick lit and PG Wodehouse and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (Soo entertaining!!).<br /><br />My reading resolution for 2010 is to read broad and wide topics and try to learn as much as possible about the world :). Book suggestions welcome!shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-89177553855810333222009-12-29T21:49:00.002-05:002009-12-29T22:11:39.360-05:00How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates GillI picked this book up based on a recommendation by my friend (Thanks R!). It is Michael Gates Gill's autobiography about how he, "a son of privilege", falls from his illustrious marketing career and a marred family life. He essentially starts working at Starbucks because his independent business is failing and he is willing to take any job that is offered to him.<br /><br />The main points I got from this book was that it doesn't matter how much a person gets paid for a job, if he doesn't give and feel respect for and from the people around him, then the job is not worth it. Michael Gates Gill gave his life to his career - he was always willing to sacrifice his family for a big marketing opportunity. He regretted not seeing his kids grow up. In his case, an affair and that led to the eventual disintegration of his family.<br /><br />Although, I hope Starbucks didn't put him up to this as some kind of marketing scheme.<br /><br />The book is definitely worth the read.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-67148259473671615622009-11-23T15:43:00.002-05:002009-11-23T16:01:59.870-05:00Faith Fiction and some other stuffWho knew there was such a category of books called Faith Fiction? I certainly did not. It is I suppose the equivalent of Christian rock music. I find it quite interesting that Christianity is almost used as some sort of marketing strategy. I mean most religions do have characteristics of propaganda to further their agenda, but I never imagined it so explicitly in contemporary fiction. Lately, I have seen more commercials on TV for churches like the one for the United Methodist church too. It's not bad or anything. I'm just saying. Are their memberships dwindling?<br /><br />The book kind of made me laugh in a tsk tsk way. The main message I got from it was "Christians are people too!" There were themes of fighting the stereotype (I was blissfully unaware of ) of being a pastor's wife and a feminist - that is a contradiction apparently. I have no right to mock the book because I don't have the benefit of the experience of growing up under the faith.<br /><br />My religion has been a huge part of my family life but I have rarely experienced it as part of the majority culture. I believe I would find that quite strange if I ever came across Hindu faith fiction (I bet they exist) or Hindu rock music. The only type of literature I have come across is when the main characters happened to practice Hinduism and I have heard some music that was a cross between a Sanskrit sloka and a country/western song. Let's just say that was pretty unique, and maybe it grows on you. It hasn't yet though.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-36899894462981669132009-10-24T16:05:00.002-04:002009-10-24T16:20:35.984-04:00Permission to SucceedThis is exactly how it happened. I interviewed for a grad assistant position and thought I didn't do well. They didn't call me back when I thought they would. That's the back story.<br /><br />I decided to do a mock interview- for practice I suppose. I was so down about not hearing back I was quite negative in the interview. That proceeded to make me more bummed. So I went to the library and checked out a few books on improving self-esteem/confidence. The librarian was nicer than usual when she was checking out my books.<br /><br />Driving home, I'm nearly in tears :(. Then I get a phone call! I got the job!! I read/skimmed these books anyway because I don't like feeling sad. I need to think preventive not reactive.<br /><br /><ul><li>Breaking Murphy's Law: How Optimists Get What They Want From Life. Was too sciency. I think it was the author's dissertation turned into a book.</li><li> The Confidence Plan. I liked this. Great, inspirational quotes at the beginning of each chapter and strong ideas.</li></ul>Permission To Succeed. By Noah St. John. It's a must read when a person feels low. He really nailed how I felt. He defines it as success anorexia. The idea that many people do not allow themselves to appreciate their success, self-sabotage. They feel they don't deserve it. His entire point (IMO) was that we must first accept that it is okay to be successful. That we must fight the negative perceptions of ourselves, the Negative Self that tells us that we are bad and no one likes us, that we don't deserve anything, etc.<br /><br />He made a lot of valid points and made me feel a lot better. He says it himself - many of the self-help books tell you the how but not the why. It is important for us as humans to accept ourselves and appreciate what we have, then we are truly successful.shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13441653.post-67745592838870539532009-09-13T20:57:00.002-04:002009-09-13T21:04:20.267-04:00Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff KinneySo Labor Day weekend went to visit the family. My cousin has these very popular children's book series called Diary of a Wimpy Kid. They won some awards I think. So so good. It reminded me of a cartoon kid friendly version of Doestoevsky's Notes from Underground. It's the story of your everyday kid who bumbles his way through life. But his life is so real. I mean it's not perfect, sometimes you feel sorry for him, other times you feel mad at him for doing a mean thing, sometimes you want to laugh at his antics. But he's a real kid. It's nice to read a book about a kid who isn't perfect for a change. In most kid books, everything gets solved at the end. In these books, the ending is not perfect, in fact it kind of stinks. I loved, loved this book!shrootyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11804583996157807572noreply@blogger.com0