Happiness is...

With maybe a cup of hot tea, or a glass of fruity wine.

Original post: anitactruong.booklikes.com/post/1134449/happiness-is

Oh Chaos!

I am not sure what I did exactly, but I was playing with the settings on my Google+ page and somehow screwed with the photos I'd uploaded to this blog.  So now everything looks broken.

Well, that's just great, isn't it?  For the most recent posts, I can remember which photos go where, but for the older posts... well, I guess we're just SOL then.

Reading Challenges of 2014 -- Progress Report

I got too lazy to continue posting progress reports each month.  It happens.  So now that I'm in the mood for it, I'll post a somewhat update of my reading progress so far this year.  And yes, I'm very OCD about lists and keeping track of what books I've been reading.  It's a madness, really...





Anyway, as far as progress goes:


Goodreads 2014 Reading Challenge -- My List
BookLikes 2014 Reading Challenge -- My List
Goal: 100 books
Progress:  96/100
See full list on my book shelf under 2014 Reading Challenge.

It's only a little over halfway through 2014 and I'm closing in on my general Reading Challenge goal.  Of course, I need to account for the number of manga and short novella's I've always included into the list, but that can be easily remedied by reading more books, of course!

I'm sure I'll have to bump my goal up after I officially reach 100 books, considering I haven't counted all of my books into other Reading Challenges (see below), which will require my general challenge to be bumped up to at least ~115 to 120 books.

I might still be reeling about that number because it seems so high, but I DO still have six months (including this month) left to read another 20 to 30 books if applicable.

We'll see how things end up.  I've no doubt I'll be at 100 books before July is over.  After all, I have seven library books lined up to be finished and returned by the time August rolls around.


***

 

100 Books in a Year hosted by Book Chick City
Progress:  81/100
See full list on my book shelf under 2014 100 Books in a Year Challenge.



2014 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen

Getting my heart rate up -- Read 1 - 5 more books -- This one
Out of breath -- Read 6 - 10 more books
Breaking a sweat -- Read 11 - 15 more books
I'm on fire! -- Read 16+ more books 

Goal:  Read 1 to 5 more books
(Last year's total: 101  -- Means I need to read 102 to 106 books)
Progress:  81/102
See full list on my book shelf under 2014 Outdo Yourself Challenge.


The above two challenges (100 Books in a Year and Outdo Yourself Challenge) are an extension of my general Reading Challenge.  Due to the fact that I haven't counted all of the books I've read into these two challenges, my goal is actually a lot higher than 100.  See above explanations.

Anyway, crossing my fingers that I don't suddenly lose my steam and stop reading steadily.  My pattern seems to be the same:  Few books read at the beginning of the year, more and more books read towards the middle of the year, number of books tapers off to an average of 1 to 5 books per month by the time the time October rolls around.

I wonder if I'll hold strong or if the same patter will come about.

***

 
2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader
Goal:  See Ani's 2014 TBR Pile Challenge -- includes full list of books in this challenge
Progress:  5/12
See also: 2014 TBR Pile Challenge (RBR) on my book shelf


I have made no progress on this particular reading list since May, I believe.  It makes me wonder if I should have chosen books I'd have had a better chance of wanting to read, though the whole point is to read the books you haven't been motivated to read that you've been wanting to read... right?  Unfortunately, there are at least 2 books on this list right now that I have no desire to actually read... which means that I'll have to use my alternatives.  And even THAT thought is kind of iffy.

This challenge may end up being incomplete this year.  And next year I'll really have to choose my books wisely.

***

 
2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by The Bookish Team

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - First Kiss
31-40 - Sweet Summer Fling
41-50 - Could this be love?
50+ - Married With Children

Goal:  Sweet Summer Fling (31 to 40 books) --  COMPLETED May 5, 2014
Next Goal:  Married With Children (50+ books) -- COMPLETED June 2, 2014
Progress:  75/50
See full list on my bookshelf under 2014 TBR Pile Challenge (Bookish).



This challenge is complete.  The goals looked overwhelming at first, but really, since my general goal was 100 books anyway, it's not like I wouldn't have been able to finish it.  So there you are!


***

 
2014 Series Challenge hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat.

Ani's 2014 Series Challenge post -- includes full list of books read for this challenge.

Bronze Badge:  1 - 3 Series
Silver Badge:  4 - 6 Series
Gold Badge:  7 - 11 Series
Platinum Badge:  12 or more Series

(1/14/2014)
Goal:  Gold Badge (7 to 11 series) -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED --
6/3/2014 -- 11th series finished --> Black CATs by Leslie A. Kelly

(6/3/2014)
Updated Goal: Platinum Badge (12 or more Series) -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 6/6/2014 -- 12th series finished --> Mindhunters by Kylie Brant

(6/14/2014)
Latest update:  12 or more COMPLETED series -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 6/14/2014 -- 12th COMPLETED series finished --> Gamble Brothers by J. Lynn

(7/17/2014)
Latest update: Previously stated personal goal officially completed.
New Goal:  Read 12 or more completed series (first book to last)

Progress:  18 series completed/caught up with for 2014.
See 2014 Series Challenge on my bookshelf for a list of books completed for this challenge.


I just recently updated a progress report for this challenge.  See this post for details.

***


2014 1st In A Series Challenge hosted by Darlene's Book Nook

Ani's 2014 1st In A Series post -- includes full list of books read for this challenge.

There are four levels for the challenge:

a. Series Novice: Read 5 books that are first in a series.

b. Series Lover: Read 10 books that are first in a series.

c. Series Expert: Read 20 books that are first in a series.

d. Series Fanatic: Read 30 books that are first in a series.

My Goal: Series Fanatic -- 30 1sts -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 7/17/2014

Completed:  30/30

See Also: 2014 1st in a Series Challenge shelf

***


2014 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen
The Goal is to read 10 Romantic Suspense Novels.
Completed:  34/10

See also: 2014 Romantic Suspense Challenge Shelf

Ani's 2014 Romantic Suspense Challenge post -- includes list of books read for this challenge.

CHALLENGE COMPLETED!  As of May 9, 2014, I've finished reading 10 Romantic Suspense novels!

6/3/2014 -- Completed 20 Romantic Suspense novels.  See shelf for list of titles.

6/29/2014 -- Completed 30 Romantic Suspense novels. See shelf for list of titles.

***

I Love Library Books 2014 Reading Challenge hosted by Book Dragon's Lair

Ani's I Love Library Books 2014 Challenge post -- includes full list of books read for this challenge.

Levels:

• board book - 3
• picture book - 6
• early reader - 9
• chapter book - 12
• middle grades - 18
• Young adult - 24
• adult - 36
• just insert IV - 50

My Goal:  just insert IV - 50
Completed: 42/50
See Also: 2014 Library Books Challenge shelf

***


So there we have a cumulative update of all the challenges I'm participating in this year.  Four challenges are officially completed (Series Challenge, 1st in a Series Challenge, Romantic Suspense Challenge, and Bookish's TBR Pile Challenge).

I only need to read 8 more library books to finish the I Love Library Books Challenge, which won't be hard--I've currently got 5 books checked out from the library to be read.  It'll only be a matter of checking out 3 more and there are so many I want to check out right now it's not even funny.  After all, I'm still in the middle of one pile before I can start a new pile.  /sigh

Man... there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the world...

Books, reviews and me...

This is a simple post.  I've created a new blog over at Booklikes to keep track of my book reviews and such.  And, to be honest, while I'm OCD about certain types of structure, I think I'm also too lazy to do too much work.  It used to be, I would try to keep tabs on book reviews I write at Goodreads automatically posting on this blog.  Now, I've got too many social networks and blog pages to keep tabs on and I'm (as repeated) a very lazy person.

So all my book reviews will now be posted at Book Abyss, my BookLikes page.  The link is also on my sidebar beneath the rest of my list of personal web pages.  I've also linked up my bookshelf from BookLikes under the Books page at the top of this blog.

I'm still going to try to update the Books page at the top of this blog, but all reviews listed from now on will link to the BookLikes pages rather than my own here at Blogger.

If a book review DOES find a way to sneak onto this blog somehow, I'm not going to fix it (cause that's how I am).  Otherwise, I'm just probably going to post a few updates every month about the books I've been reading and then redirect everyone with linkies to the proper page of each book review or progress report.

That is all.

Amateur Mini Book Club, Day One

Day One

Location -- Noisy Coffee Shop where I prove that I CAN be much noisier than the noise.

- Goodreads

- BookLikes

- Amazon

This is pretty much how it went down in a not so very brief-tastic summary with probable exaggerations and some paraphrased conversations because my memory sucks at exact details and maybe I should have been recording everything, but I didn't.  Anyway, long day aside, this is my best friend and my first attempt at committing to something like a book club.  But we tend to be more or less easy-going about books, so we agreed on simply discussing how we feel about the book thus far with no "high school style" deep analysis.

The session was overall pretty laid back, and as my best friend likes to remain anonymous within the online world (she doesn't even have a social networking account of any kind outside of her GR account that she rarely frequents), I shall refer to her as BFF.

Me: 

Shows up 15 minutes late and immediately starts talking about how life sucks and our table is in the middle of too much crowd.  Wonders what kind of fattening fancy coffee shop drink to get.

BFF:

"Yeah, it's really crowded tonight."  Proceeds to talk about book and how she had wanted to read more than our agreed upon ten chapters because she was enjoying it.  "I read all ten chapters in one whole sitting... then I sort of started on the next chapter a little bit..."

Me:

"Oh right.  The book."  Plops down onto the chair.  "Um... I'm enjoying it too.  But honestly, I liked Puck's portion of the narration more than the other guy."  Because Puck sounds wittier and livelier and I like wit and sarcasm and liveliness.  And I also like the relationship between Puck and her brothers.

Gives very brief "I can relate" segway with a roll of the eyes and wave of the hand about Puck's relationship with her brothers.  Continues to wonder what type of fancy drink to indulge in.

BFF: 

"I thought of that too!"  Proceeds to flip through book to end of Chapter 3 after Puck's elder brother, Gabe, announced that he's leaving the island... for good.  Puck feels abandoned, little brother Finn is semi-trying to keep the peace.  Puck tries to act nonchalant and brave.  

"I especially made the connection at this part," points to book, "here when Puck goes to her room and says something like, 'Jackass', or whatever.  I thought it sounded like you and your brother."

(Random tangent)

Well, the actual line is, "Selfish bastard," right before Puck sobs into her pillow after putting on a strong front and proclaiming that she's going to participate in the races that could get people killed because they'll need the money if she can win it.  But nonetheless, the sentiments and the feelings are there.  And yes, while I don't relate with Puck too much (she's pluckier and has more determination than I do), I can relate with her situation somewhat.  The difference is that her parents are gone and mine are still here, but between the "selfish bastard" big brother and the strange little brother with disjointed behavior and unpredictable color commentary, I think that's pretty similar in some ways.

(Random tangent end)

Me: 

Talks about the difference between Sean and Puck and why Puck is more easily related to than Sean.  Sean is too dark and broody -- dark and broody doesn't always work for main male characters.  

BFF:

Talks about some lines in certain chapters she has highlighted and why.

Me:

At some point during the discussion that I can't quite remember, points at a nearby taller table that just got vacated.  With a happy grin: "Window table."

And so the two of us scramble to the new table with our crap in tow as I finally decide that I need to get me one of those fancy coffee shop drinks before we get serious.  Moments later, when I return to the table, we start chatting about the book again, but there is a very distinct agreement between the two of us about certain things:

1)  The book is enjoyable and Puck is a nice, fun girl to follow.

2)  Sean is too broody and we both found his parts of the story too somber and too monotone so far.  We understand that he's broody for a reason (he'd recently lost his father to a water horse "accident" and watched his father die and he's stuck in this endless cycle of the Scorpio Races where everyone wants his opinion), but we believe that broodiness is just his way of being male and dramatic at the same time.  If he were a woman, people would be telling him to build a bridge.  

Also, we determined that Sean seems to have this complex where he seems to see himself on a different level than everyone else around him, in an arrogant, "I know more than you about these water horses" type of way which we think makes him feel superior to everyone else.

And the idea that Sean is drawn to the water the same way that the water horses are drawn to the sea... a little disturbing.

(Random personal tangent): When I first read the description of this book, I had pictured Sean as some gangly, young kid with a big-person ego too big for him to handle.  I was thinking of him as some stubborn child wanting to prove a point by racing in the Scorpio Races against professionals.  And now after reading the book, I realize that my pre-impression of him was quite wrong since he is obviously the Water Horse Yoda on the island.  Go figure.  (Random personal tangent end)

3)  BFF and I are both interested in seeing the first interaction between Sean and Puck with their differing personalities.  Puck lost her parents to water horses during one of the annual races as well in a "tragic accident", but she maintains a rather light view of life as seen here:

Setting them out on the table, three lonely plates where once there would've been five, depresses me, so I busy myself making some mint tea to go with them.  As I arrange and rearrange the teacups by our plates, it occurs to me, too late, that mint tea and apple cake might not go together.

The way in which Puck's mind operates is hard to grasp since these tiny little details also tells so much about how she feels, bringing a possible somber, melancholic moment into a more thoughtful, puzzling moment.  This is also setting aside the fact that the siblings are having apple cake for dinner.

4)  Water horses are super creepy.

5)  Maggie Stiefvater is awesome!

Okay, maybe that last one was all me, but there is no amount of words I can use to describe why I love Maggie's writing.

Moving along, we make other comments about the book.

My BFF seems to like big romantic ideals and gestures, so she points out that she highlighted the moment when Puck first sees Sean as he rides past on his red stallion... and then is known to her as "the rider on the red stallion" (BFF:  "That just sounded so hot!") until she learns his real name not long afterwards.  We both take note that Puck is attracted to Sean first (since he is obviously good looking as a main YA male character) and because he's "kinda hot" as the "rider on the red stallion". In hindsight, I agree that it was quite the description and rather grand; I take note and file the idea away for further blogging.

Surprisingly, despite my being a hopeless romantic, that moment that BFF mentions was completely overlooked by yours truly.  I seemed to have veered more towards the sibling relationship and enjoyed more moments between Puck and Finn:

- Puck and Finn racing in the first chapter.

- Puck and Finn having stilted conversation after Finn is shaken by the encounter with the water horse.

- Finn making hot chocolate in the morning for himself and Puck, but managing to botch it somehow and leaving the smell of burnt something on the stove as this exchange happens:

"You made this?"

Finn looks at me.  "No, Saint Anthony brought it to me in the night.  He was very put out I didn't give it to you right then."

[...]

I am shocked, both by the reappearance of Finn's humor and the gift of the hot chocolate.  I see now that the counter is an absolute mess of pots that Finn used to distill a single cup of cocoa, and I'm certain now that the odor hanging on the air is the smell of milk spilt on the hot burner, but it doesn't matter in the face of his intention.  It sort of makes my lower lip not quite sure of itself [...]

And basically the entirety of the whole hot chocolate scene makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, because despite the sarcastic bantering and jibes, you can tell that these are siblings who care about each other a lot.  And it reminds me of my own relationship with my younger brothers.  I'm curious about Puck's relationship with Gabe, pre-"Gabe-is-a-selfish-bastard-who-is-abandoning-us", because I want to see what it was like.

And then we go into another 45 minute segway, detouring back to the sibling relationship as relates to Puck, Gabe and Finn... until we segway completely into the relationship between myself and my brothers.  And then we talk about work and life in general and about how my mother is super human; and some guy nearby shoots me frustrated looks as he puts on his head set because I am getting too loud.  And then I need another scone.  But none of that is really too important, though I have a feeling we'll keep coming back to the sibling relations as relates to myself and my brothers...

By the end of the little mini book club meeting between me and my best friend, we've decided that maybe 10 chapters was a little short and we were unable to grasp completely what's going on in the book as of yet, but that we are extra excited to continue.  Although I have a feeling that the excitement is really reserved for the fact that we are book-clubbing more so than for reading the book itself, despite how enjoyable I find it so far (because while enjoyable, it hasn't quite hooked me yet).

Due to my extremely good fortune, I have a mini-weekend and so we've agreed to try to finish another ten chapters by the next day and meet up again for more discussion.  Maybe this time I'll try harder to record our conversation so that it may be transcribed into blog form a bit better than what I managed this time around.

Although, to be fair, I DID show up late and hadn't had a chance to set up my laptop for note-taking on this session.  And then I just got lazy.

Finally, BFF will be reading this blog and will be allowed to demand editing of said transcript if she so desires.  I'm sure she'll appreciate the liberties I took to spruce up our conversation a little bit with my own perceived version of our amateurish mini book club discussion.  In all honesty, we're not very exciting people, but I try to make it sound like we are if I can.

I wish we could include other, more experienced book-bloggers, but we are also a bit concerned about sounding stupid in front of other people rather than sounding stupid between ourselves.

Until next time... which won't be long.

This post originally posted at Book Abyss @ BookLikes.com

This is my 'DO NOT DISTURB' sign.

DON'T POKE THE BEAST!

I might be crazy...

I always get my most well-thought out blog post material when I'm taking a shower.  It's a strange thing that happens one time too often wherein my thoughts will start to stray sporadically until I get hooked on a specific subject.

Say, for instance, I was thinking about the Asian television I've been watching recently... and POOF!  Now I've got a possible blog post to write about to end the long hiatus over in dramaland's blog.  (See the linkies on the side panel, as I am too lazy to hyperlink in the post right now.)  I even came up with a title for that blog post:  Drama Bites.  My plan had been to detail several drama series I've been watching lately and how the Asian drama world has been picking up (finally!).  But, of course, as soon as I get out of the shower, those thoughts are gone and my next line of thought started at the top of this particular post entry.

This happens a lot.  A few days ago, I think I had an idea to write about what kinds of books draw me in as a reader.  I even had an entire paragraph thought up as an introductory.  Something about genres and character interaction and witty humor and how even though I'm a hopeless romantic, a lot of my favorite books happen to put the romances in a back seat light... and other stuff like that.  And then the moment I sat down, I got distracted (ooh, something shiny!) and ended up playing Candy Crush on Facebook or something like that (my memory might be a little worse than goldfish level sometimes when it comes to mundane and boring activities).

Anyway, this brings me to something I said to myself aloud only moments ago.  "I wonder if I should start recording my thoughts aloud... like with a voice recorder..."  I honestly really thought about that.  And as suggestive as the entire scenario sounds (recording my shower sessions), it's really not as exciting and more about my own OCD when it comes to writing material.  If I dictated all of my thought aloud and had them recorded, would that help me remember my thoughts better and plan blog posts more accordingly?

Because, to be totally honest, I've already had two different revelations of how I wanted to write up my Raven Boys review, and yet both times, those perfectly formulated thoughts would disappear as soon as I get to my desk.  It's a little annoying since that review is long overdue and the next book will be released in about a month (give or take), and I would hate to be scrambling for a half-assed review two nights before I start reading The Dream Thieves.

Sigh...  Me and my first world problems would make everyone out there laugh, right?

Yeah, I might just be a little crazy.

Ugh...

I just feel like ugh today... That's all.

Real Ink vs E-Ink

I was perusing Goodreads today (as I do every day) and came across a particular book: It's a Book by Lane Smith

And excuse me as I climb on top of a brief soap box that many people may or may not agree with. However, to start off, here is a short history of my foray into reading and book-worm goodness:

I've always been a reader. When I was younger, I openly admitted to fellow students that I planned to read every book found in our school's library, starting from authors whose last names begin with an 'A', and moving forward. Whenever I visited the public library with friends, a running joke was that they would randomly select a book (whether they had personally read it themselves or not) and tell me that it was a fantastic read and that I needed to give it a chance. By the time we were finished with our day at the library, I would leave with a nice sized stack of at least five or more books to finish within the next two weeks.

Books have always drawn my attention. I like to walk through book sections of most stores, looking through titles, admiring illustrations, reading summaries, flipping through pages to read excerpts here and there. Even if I never buy anything, I still get some sort of addicted kick out of being around shelves and shelves of books. My friends know better than to take me to a book store if we're on a tight itinerary -- I can easily spend upwards of two to three hours just looking at different book titles and trying to decide what I want to buy and what I don't want to buy. To quote one of the reviewers of the Goodreads' community on the It's a Book page:

I like walking around, basket on my arm, adding to it any item that catches my fancy. I like agonizing over which of my carefully selected books will be going home with me as I weigh my wants against what my meager bank account will allow me to have. I love the feel of books, the smell of books, the covers of books. I love turning pages. I love seeing what others are reading.

-- Amanda from the Goodreads' community

Those words absolutely describe my life as a bookstore lurker for the past ten or more years since the first time I could drive myself to a bookstore and could afford to buy a book for my own personal bookshelf.

I'm a huge fan of books, stories, reading... etc... If I can get a lovely, exciting, fantastic story out of the written word, I'm more than ecstatic.

On a side rant, I'm still fighting a different silent battle against those who don't seem to understand my love for books, for the the delight of leisurely reading, for the ideals of immersing oneself into a fictional paradise presented entirely through words... People don't take me seriously when I tell them about my bookworm tendencies. People don't think I actually mean it when I tell them that I'd rather curl up with a good novel any day rather than going out and partying it up. And when I'm found reading, my attention caught up in the current fictional world I'm reading about, I get disturbed constantly -- Okay, let's make this unmistakably clear: When someone like me is entranced in a good read, for the love of everything that's true, DO NOT DISTURB! You'll either get ignored or you'll elicit an irritated growl from the beast. I'm serious.

The one scenario I've been coming across a lot lately is a particular co-worker who likes to throw this phrase at me whenever I'm reading during our slow time at work: "No time for reading, time for rocking!" And then when I ignore her, she'll do what she can to get my attention in the form of, "Did you hear me? No time for reading, time for rocking!" When she finally gets my attention and I'm all, "Yea, I heard you." She somehow gets around to, "Geez, you're in a bad mood tonight."

No, no. I was in a stellar mood. I'm not angry at anyone, but you just ignored the big ten foot aura that very clearly says "DO NOT POKE THE BEAST". That aside, I know what her stance on reading is anyway-- she's told me before that she doesn't read, that she gets her entertainment from movies. So to her, it's a strange phenomena that I love to read more than I like watching movies. To her, reading is no fun, it's boring, it's not exciting. And so on more than one occasion, she's more than demanded that I try watching certain movies and it frustrates her when I told her I haven't seen some of her favorites. We could say that her love for movies is similar to my love of books.

But to be honest, I live on the motto of: "To each their own." And yet while I never said anything to her about her own personal interests, I've gotten silent scrutiny more often than I would like to receive about my love for reading.

***

But anyway, the above side rant is something for a different day -- it's an ongoing battle that'll sit at stale mate forever because I'm not sure anyone who believes that "books are boring" will ever understand a bookworm's fascination with the written word.

Back to the big ol' E-reader versus Hard copy books debate, shall we?

Where was I even going with this?

Ah, yes. I'm a fan of books. I buy books like some women buy shoes or purses. It's my addiction. My current bookshelf houses 147 paperback and hardback books, some of which are anthologies and some of which are multiple books compiled into volumes. It was a big struggle for me to finally sit down and go through all of my books one day and eliminate about fifteen of them for one reason or another and take them to the Friends of the Public Library as a donation. And yet, after sitting down and making inventory, I still had 147 books in my possession and I still managed to find more books to add to my collection.

But here's the kicker:

I AM a proud owner of a Barnes and Noble Nook Simple Touch. To add insult to injury, I'm also in the midst of considering a Kindle Fire HD.

Why do I bring this up?

From reading a select few reviews of It's a Book, I came to realize something that I've always known: That there are still people who reject the E-reader for the sole reason that they think it'll force the various forms of hard copy books into non-existence.

From just reading the various reviews, it seems that this book points out something quite disturbing: that a person who enjoys the convenience and "nifty" gadgetry of an E-reader is thought of as akin to a jackass who will never understand the pleasures of holding or flipping through the pages of a "real book" on printed paper and bound. There's a very distinct undertone of teasing hostility against those of us who have found and enjoy the benefits of owning an E-reader. It almost sounds like we're being stereotyped into one specific category of un-sophistication -- that the hefty weight of a bound tome is much more good and mighty than an electronic "nifty gadget" of convenience. That a hard copy paper back is a "true" book while the E-reader is the "anti-book".

And frankly, as a self-proclaimed bookworm, I'm a little offended by those implications. I LOVE my E-reader. I love the idea of more of the written word being made available in more convenient forms. I love that sometimes I don't have to carry a particular book around from one place to another in order to make sure I can continue reading from where I left off on that particular copy. I love how convenient it is to carry around a library of 52 books and be able to pick and choose which one I would like to start reading, all within one little thin package of Barnes and Noble Nook. I love that I can access my e-book libraries (yes, count'em, plural) anywhere where there is internet available (so yes, the death of internet will probably mean a total nervous break down for me).  I love that I can set my E-reader down while I eat and read at the same time (because I like multi-tasking), because this is something I've never been able to do with a paperback book.

Most importantly (for a hermit and an introvert like myself), I love that I don't have to leave my home just to go buy a book that I desperately want to own; it especially works out for me as a night owl and 3rd shift worker and there is no bookstore open but you still want to get that new release at 2:00 A.M. and start reading it.

But my love for E-books and E-readers in no way takes away from my love of having a solid, paper printed, bound book in my hand. I still have my shelf of 147 paperback and hard back books. I just added onto that collection less than a month ago. I still find pleasure in seeing each different cover of each book, their illustrations, their colors, their feel and their smell.  I still love going to a bookstore and flipping through pages and glancing at randomly chosen excerpts to assess whether or not I'll enjoy the book based on a paragraph or so of Chapter 17 of such and such book.  Admittedly, this is something you CANNOT do with an e-book since the online community provides you with what excerpts it believes you should see, and sometimes not enough of it.  As I've already mentioned, I can easily spend hours in a bookstore and leave with nothing but a bookmark, just one book, or nothing at all.  And while I'm at it, an e-book doesn't allow you to just show someone the cover of your book when asked the question: "What'cha readin'?" which is an inevitable question by people whether they really care what you're reading or not.

I'll admit that it has been a long time since I visited the library for reasons of "browsing" for a random book or stack of books to take home. I'll admit that I really like the idea of being able to conveniently borrowing e-books from the e-book section of our public library online. Sometimes, some of us just don't have time to take a purposeful trip to the library or the book store to browse for hours (not that I wouldn't still do it, mind you, but priorities take... well, priority, you know). And so I opt to browse the internet for new book releases, random book recommendations, anything that catches my eye, and make a note of them. At a later time, when I have time, I'll check that book out online (all I need is a summary and maybe an excerpt or a sample) and decide whether or not this book might be worth reading (or owning).

In my own personal opinion (which I hope in no way influences anyone else's preferences), my love for books lies more or less with that particular book's reading worth and value: the story line, the writing style, the world it creates, the excitement it can convey... Whether I'm reading a "real" book or an e-book, all of those elements don't change. I love holding a "real" book in my hands and flipping through pages just as much as I love setting my Nook on the table and moving through each page with a quick tap while my hands are preoccupied with other activities. In the end, I still get the same experience from the story I'm reading and to me, it doesn't matter whether I'm reading it as an electronic product or a printed product.

I admit that it would be sad if our future ends up seeing an extinction of printed ink in a bound tome format.  I grew up with printed books and libraries.  I feel like every child should experience having a real book in their hands and being able to flip through the pages and enjoy said experience.  My dream is to own a large personal library with walls and walls of shelves filled with books.  But I also don't think it's wrong to have a "nifty gadget" of convenience for those of us who have found and enjoy the benefits of owning an e-reader, or who have discovered the advantages of an e-book library.

So what if some people feel like an E-reader is a just a trendy gadget following along with the times.  I honestly believe that smart phones and I-Phones are part of that "Hey, look at me and my nifty gadget" group, the same goes with tablets and I-Pads -- I've never held much affection for them.  I think they're neat and pretty awesome from a technological stand point.  I've owned a tablet which was eventually given to my brother who found better ways to put it to good use.  I've spoken to many people who think that a smart phone has too many functions than is really necessary because, to them, they really only need to be able to call and receive calls; even texting is a new luxury they could care less about.  While I appreciate all the quirky apps and cute little internet friendly convenience, how often do people even use a smart phone to it's full potential anyway?  Just as often as people use their e-readers, maybe?

We live in an informational age filled with new technological advances; I feel like the e-reader has done what it set out to do rather than just being a pretty new electronic device for everyone to fawn over: it allows a level of convenience for people who love to read, but don't want to carry around several books to weight down their purses or back backs; especially travelers who can't afford to carry 52 actual real books in their luggage (you know, weight and size restrictions and such on a plane and all...).  This is something I used to do before I got an e-reader -- I would actually carry two or three books with me wherever I went just in case I got bored and I wanted to read something, and for the sake of having at least two books to fall back on if my primary book didn't catch my attention very well.  Now, I need only carry my e-reader and sometimes I even still carry one paperback that I'm interested in.  My moods don't always account for my reading moods.

To a point, it's much like an mp3 player or an IPod, which are also devices created for the sake of convenience -- rather than trying to cram a million CDs into your car for a long road trip and having to switch them out often, rather than selecting specific CDs to listen to on those (now outdated) CD players while you work or hang out, you now have a nifty device that can hold upwards of hundreds and thousands of songs you can choose from in a small "nifty gadget."  For people who love listening to music, these things are convenience utopia... much like for those of us who love to read, e-readers are the epitome of convenience.

I repeat once again: "To each their own."

But it does weigh heavily on me whenever E-book lovers are dismissed as just "jackasses basking in the trendiness of technological gadgetry" because we are assumed to be people who are into these new "nifty gadgets" for the technology alone and just aren't sophisticated enough to enjoy holding a "real" book in our hands and probably don't know what a paper bound tome looks like either.

So... Okay, who's being the pompous jackass now?

Long week... short week...

It's strange to be awake this early in the morning. In fact, it's been strange for me to actually be living normal people hours this entire week. Sleeping around midnight and waking up six hours later in the A.M. rather than sleeping during the day and being awake most of the nighttime.

I can say that I am definitely NOT looking forward to being back at work in a few days. Vacation (or in my case, a "stay-cation") doesn't really help a third-shifter at all. In a few days, I'm going to have to rearrange my sleeping schedule again. I don't want to do that!

It feels like it's been a long week, and yet it's been a really short week at the same time. Well, if that makes any sense. I'm ready for work, but I'm not ready for work; and then I really just want to get my regular schedule back in line.

In a way, I just feel exhausted even though it's been a rather productive week.

Am I making any sense at all? It must be that I'm a bit disoriented from being awake at 10:00 A.M. because it's usually unheard of.

***

那麼就醒有一點點奇怪。 其實這個禮拜就是很奇怪，因為倒是跟其他人一樣。 夜晚零時誰，六個鐘後起床；不是早上睡眠，夜晚醒。

我可以說，不是很想回到工作。 在家度假不是對夜班工作有幫助。 在過幾天要該睡覺地時間。 我不要!

這個禮拜很長，也有好似很短一樣。 好像說不通媽？ 我準備上班，但是也不是很準備的；其所，我只是想回返原本的作息時間。

可以說，雖然這個禮拜做的很多，但是我只是真的很累很累。

說的通不通媽？ 或者我好亂。

And now... we're probably not quite back, but what're ya gonna do?

I can't believe it's been about... well, almost a year since the last time I wrote something more personal than what I like to read. It looks like I managed to turn my blog into a book blog for a good part of the year. And then we tanked. I pretty much have accepted that I won't be finishing my Reading Challenge and that I should have stayed at 20 books to make my goal possible. I could probably go and change my goal, but that would be cheating and I don't like cheating when it comes to books.

Blogging really has been the last thing on my mind lately. Basically, there are not enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do each and every day. There's work (8 hours) and there's sleep (6 to 8 hours on good days). That leaves approximately 8 hours to get other things done... or so one would think. I now also take approximately 1 and a half hours spent at the gym to reach a very long drawn out goal. Then there's driving which takes about twenty minutes in one direction and another twenty minutes in the other direction. Half an hour in the shower, an hour winding down before I go to sleep and an hour slacking off before work starts up at night.

So in the end, I'm left with approximately 4 hours to spend my day (on work nights). I hate to look at my days in terms of time and hours, but that's just the way that America is structured anyway. Every single moment of your life is based on how much time you have to get from Point A to Point B, how much time you spend at Point B before you must return to Point A, and then how much more time you spend at Point A before having to move on to Point B again. In between, you calculate how much time you have to spend doing other chores or leisurely activities. You need to take half an hour or so to do the laundry, cook dinner, wash the dishes and take out the trash. You need to take a little more time if there are other things to accomplish: vacuum, finish the laundry, grocery shopping. And then maybe you have an hour or two to either relax and watch an episode of a series you're following, or just to chill around with your family and have idle chit-chat.

Or maybe you're like me and you're devoting an hour-ish of your extra time to doing some personal studying. I'm currently teaching myself Japanese and have been in the process of learning for about a month now. I'm not good at it, but I can break down a sentence and tell you what it says in my own way -- it'll just take some time. I'm also devoting some random moments here and there to improve upon my Chinese reading and writing skills -- I mean, really, just being able to converse in my native tongue is just not good enough for me and I feel like I should have learned how to read and write in Chinese ages ago.

So I guess unlike the last couple times I've posted a blog article, I actually have a lot more going on in my life than I give credit for. I mean, life still feels monotonous, but it's not like I'm not being productive. Take, for instance, my newest improvement: the regular gym-going routine. It's a miracle that I can even make it to the gym before my brain kicks in with laziness and I decide to go home instead cause I'm "just too tired for the gym this morning." It's a BIG feat for me to knock that thought out and subconsciously make myself drive straight to the gym anyway. And once I'm there, a work-out is pretty much cemented.

Now I'm not hardcore or anything when it comes to working out. I've tried that before where I force myself to work out until I collapse. And you know what ends up happening? I quit going to the gym for about three months before I feel guilty about being a lazy slacker and start up again only to recycle the same process. So I pretty much made a deal with myself where I wouldn't kill myself. If I feel like I've had enough, then I've had enough, because some activity is better than no activity. With that thought in mind, I've been able to slowly build my endurance and create a routine where NOW I can try to kill myself working out and not feel burdened by it.

For instance, today I did my usual cardio work-out followed by some questionable ab work-out that I may need to consult a trainer about, then I went and lifted for three sets of fifteen. Then I followed through with an intense Zumba class (which was tons of fun now that I can actually keep up pretty well).

I'm on a roll, so I intend to keep up this roll for as long as I'm motivated, which I really, REALLY hope is a long time to come.

Just this morning, getting out of the shower, I've decided to create a new, long term goal and to modify my current goal a little bit. Having it written down, however, I hope doesn't kill the foundation I've been building for the last two months (because a vacation and my period almost did it).

Long term goal: By this time next year, I will be my ideal weight and size. What that is, I don't know yet, but we'll figure it out as we go.

Short term goal: By the end of the year, I will hopefully be twenty pounds lighter and five inches thinner in the waist. I'm shooting for twenty pounds, but in reality, with only two months left to go, I'm pretty sure I'll only make it to fifteen pounds less than what I started at two months ago... mostly because some serious slacking and a vacation had only given me leeway to losing approximately seven pounds since I first made my commitment.

Maybe by some miracle there'll be some sort of strange logarithmic increase in the number of pounds I'm losing in the next few weeks to come and I'll reach my goal... and then some. But I'm not banking on it. I'm a realist and we need to stay within the reality scope of things.

Anyway... for having not written in so long, I guess I still have it in me to ramble on endlessly about things that probably no one else cares about. Ahhh.... the beauty of having a personal blog that no one really reads.

To end off my post, here's a little bit of my own achievement to boost up my spirits:

私の目的を見失わない. 頑張ります! I won't lose sight of my goal. I'll work hard!
(I hope I wrote that correctly. More than likely, it's wrong, but I didn't have any examples to work off of...)

Just in case, anyone out there who is interested in learning Japanese with me, has interest in learning Chinese with me, or is really good at either of the two languages (written, spoken, whatever) let me know. I could use a study buddy since my only other source (the little brother) is busy with school.

Thoughts on Princess Academy, by the chapter

I don't really fancy myself a book blogger. In fact, even with my other blog (which is on a bit of hiatus, sadly) I still don't think of myself as a professional review blogger. Everything that comes out just ends up being my own personal opinions, packaged in as nicely a format as I can manage.

And that's that.

For some back story...

I first picked up Princess Academy about three, maybe four years ago at a local Target. My best friend and I love to roam around the store at random moments and look at things that we won't be buying. We peruse DVDs, CDs, books, magazines, and different household items with our own color commentary about who uses this stuff, what use it would become if we bought it, and whether or not it would rate high in our own consumer ratings. With DVDs we would tell each other what kind of movies are good and which ones we have seen and which ones we want to see.

It happens like this a often and repetitively, but it was a nice, lazy way of wasting away the rest of the evening after dinner.

And then sometimes we end up in the book aisle and silently walk around.

I'm a book nerd (as everyone probably has guessed). Whenever you lead me into a book section of a store, it could be at least thirty minutes to the hour before I'm willing to walk away. If you take me to an actual book store, be prepared to spend four to five hours just looking at books with me while I decide what I want to buy and what I know I should spend money on. (Of course, some things have changed now that e-books are the big trend and I can very easily look up a book I want and buy it with a simple push of a button. SO DANGEROUS for my book addiction.)

Anyway, I came across Princess Academy at Target and couldn't help but be drawn to it in every way that makes you know you want to buy that book, on the spot. First off, the cover was pretty attractive, even if quite simple. Its perfect as a young adult, fairy-tale-esque type of story book. Next, the title was just interesting the moment I read it: "Princess Academy. Now that just screams all sorts of adventurous fun with a large group of characters and a learning experience." If you know me well, you know that I'm particularly keen on story lines that boast a sort of "youth group get together" feel. Multiple characters of the same young age living together in a boarding school-like plot device makes for some of the most colorful, entertaining, fun character interactions. (Case in point: Harry Potter was one of my more favorite fictional world settings.)

If it's one thing about a story that draws me in, it's the character interactions. I'm a firm believer that in order to bring characters to life, you must allow the characters to propel the story in their own way, not let the story itself dictate how the character's life will end up. It's sort of a foil to the "Writer is God" idea.

But then again, I' man amateur writer at best, so what do I know?

Coming back to Princess Academy, the final factor that had me excited about the story, was, of course, the overall summary. And this is where the excitement of this adventure begins a new chapter for me.

***

A few months ago, I came across the announcement of Shannon Hale's newest book, Palace of Stone, hailed as the sequel to Princess Academy. Immediately, I was drawn to it. While Princess Academy might not be my favorite Shannon Hale book (Book of a Thousand Days is my favorite), it is still a beloved Shannon Hale read that I really enjoyed. In fact, Princess Academy is the first Shannon Hale book that I laid my hands on, so it's got its own memorable value.

So I'm excited for the new sequel to be release in August (among many other things) and with the upcoming release, I came across a proposed Princess Academy book club activity from Shannon Hale's blog. Each day in July, she will read one chapter of Princess Academy and do an "author's commentary" for all of her reader fans to follow along with.

And I thought to myself, "I had planned on rereading Princess Academy to prepare myself for Palace of Stone's release anyway." And since I wasn't sure how I'd incorporate Princess Academy into my slightly hectic book and drama series itinerary, this was actually a really good proposal. I could follow along, read a chapter at a time (maybe two or three), and slowly have the entire book re-read by the time its sequel is released. At the same time, it doesn't cut into any other books I'm reading, AND I can take a little time out of my day to give a quick summary slash opinion of what I'm thinking.

I've already read the first chapter, but since Ms. Shannon Hale won't be starting her part until tomorrow, July 2, I might give it until tomorrow to post my first set of thoughts on Chapter 1, just so I have time to collect my own thoughts and do a comparison.

***

In other news, my work days are getting quite chaotic (with overtime and my trying to figure out when to sleep since I'm trying to include a routine work-out schedule as well). There are also some family issues happening, involving my grandmother, a total knee replacement, and lots of family visitation.

Finally, one of my best friends will be arriving in town this week for a few days and so there are more things I'm looking forward to as well as some things I'm not too keen on.

I'm keeping myself excited and preoccupied with the two leisurely activities I love the most: reading books and watching Asian drama series. I'm keeping myself updated on what new books will be released when and what new Asian drama series and/or movies will be accessible soon.

Other than that, life has been pretty monotonous, but at the same time, peaceful and fulfilling.

In which I make a new goal...

This is technically my second time using the Nike+ technology, but with this particular run, I was finally able to calibrate the sensor a bit more properly. It was pretty much a "start up sensor, run, pause sensor, walk, un-pause sensor, run, pause sensor, walk, walk, walk, un-pause sensor, run..." Rinse, wash, repeat. Nonetheless, it didn't take long for me to finish "running" that one mile even if there were multiple "walks" in between.

Here's hoping that sooner or later I'll be able to run more than two laps without hyperventilating. This new goal will require a LOT of motivation and a LOT of discipline. The only thing that kept me going was a little bit of "Only four laps left... two... one..." And then let the huffing and puffing commence.

Yea... I feel like a dead turtle right now.

Hopefully I'll be able to make it again tomorrow morning?

Lunar New Year of the Dragon

Happy New Year to all of the Asian and non-Asian community out there!

I typically have more of a sense of excitement for our culture's new year than the universal new year. Call it tradition or even call it just a sense of fondness for something that NOT everyone else in this country celebrates, but I'm fairly content. For one, the new year allows us more food and festivities than the typical universal new year invokes.

On December 31, 2011, I awaited patiently for the new year to approach while sitting (bored) at a bar with friends all around. It wasn't like I didn't enjoy myself, but to be totally honest, I'm not a bar person and I'm not a heavy drinker. And we ALL know that I am the last person in this world to initiate being a social butterfly. But spending time with friends was great, so there are no complaints there.

As for this upcoming Chinese New Year (which I simply refer to as a new year), our festivities have always included visiting family, receiving lucky red envelopes (with money, of course), and eating ton-loads of great traditional Chinese dishes made by either Mom, Grandma, or some random relative. There are also lots of candies and gifts passed around.

It's typically a pretty nice time and I am honestly a tad more excited for this particular holiday than I have been for others from the most recent line-up. I know I don't look enthused, but the extent of my emotions is only so wide.

So anyway, here's to the new year, Year of the Dragon, and let's hope that we have a good one!

My Bon Voyage Treats

Technically it's not like I'm really going anywhere, but as the "official" last night working 3rd shift at one campus in our hospital network, my manager brought in cupcakes. Aren't they pretty? I especially love the cupcake stand (never thought that I would actually be squeal-y about a cupcake stand). It's so cute that I want one even if I never really eat cupcakes (I'm not a fan). This little set up is especially nice because of all the pretty colors.

I didn't even want to make a big deal about my "going away" since I'm pretty much a prime candidate to return to help cover shifts if it's necessary. And it's not like I'm going away forever either. But anyway, it's all good. I had my celebratory "congrats on full time position and we'll miss you, but not really" dinner with my only few coworkers from 3rd shift and now cupcakes on my last night.

So sweet! (No pun intended.)

Oh, the holiday cheer (or lack thereof)

I've come to the conclusion that the holidays are some of the most depressing times in the entire year. Or I could just be a regularly boring and depressing person. It's hard to say what comes first: my own sense of melancholy or a lonely imitation of holiday highs. Either way, ever since a few years back, I've begun to associate the holidays (subconsciously) with a melancholic loneliness; maybe it was about two or three years ago that I began to acknowledge this fact. When did it actually start that I stopped caring about the holiday season?

Who knows?

Returning to some old journal entries and blog posts for Decembers in the past, I've come to find that my thoughts never stray too far from melodramatic woes. There are some specific common factors that even accompany these low moments, on repeat: 1) angry holiday shopping and shoving and cursing and more shoving; 2) unexplained bipolar tendencies wherein I go from excited about one moment only to follow through almost too quickly with a sudden low that makes my heart hurt; 3) the resentment I hold towards people around me (in general) and also towards my older brother (mainly) for the fact that I've made myself into an outcast; and finally, 4) a strange regret that I can't find any reason to be excited about the holiday seasons anymore, and because of that, I'm sad about it.

Life does amusing things to your head once you start thinking too hard. And then even happy thoughts can lead to hypothetical "What if I disappeared from this world tomorrow? Who would care?" questions. Where do I stand in this life time with all of my friends and all of my family? Where do I stand with myself? What do I want? What DO I want?

What do I want?

A little research into the past didn't quite clear up my curiosities. I wanted to see when it was that I actually stopped caring about the holidays. It turns out that nowhere do I make mention about anything to do with my melancholy during the holidays. I talk about a lot of other things I'm preoccupied with such as books (mainly Harry Potter, apparently), upcoming tests, upcoming holiday vacations and the like. And then there's a lull from 2005 until 2007 when either I just didn't feel motivated to write or I didn't have time. And then, in a private journal entry in 2007, I think I make the connection for the first time that Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas of my childhood anymore.

What happened in 2007? Where did that revelation come from? Did I already feel this way before then and just didn't realize it? Or was that feeling just never written down on paper because I never had the time for private journal mutterings?

I'm having snippet flash backs of a possible connection to Faith Hill's "Where Are You Christmas?" that might have catalyzed my "holiday emo" era. The song is quite depressing until you get the last verse where it finally picks back up when she "finds Christmas" again. But you're already put into a jaded mood from the beginning of the song. This would put my issues back into high school in the year 2000. So it's not right, because back then (as I am slightly today) I was a big drama queen and overdid EVERYTHING. Maybe there was carry-over and I just didn't realize it.

And then college came around the corner and I didn't have the time to think about Christmas losing its magic for me.

So apparently going back and looking at old histories of "The Life of Ani" doesn't really do squat to help pinpoint my frustrations. Of course, it's not like it would have helped my case anyway; it doesn't help bring back my cheer. Instead, I'm finding that it's just further escalating that sense of boredom accompanied by a very dormant yearning for the holidays to actually MAKE me excited again.

Really... I really DO want to feel happy about the holidays. I don't want to drive by lights and Christmas decorations or listen to holiday music or hear about seasonal celebrations only to come up with one single depressing thought:

"I really wish I could feel excited about life again."

The little things in life

I realized just now that, while perusing my storage of pictures, I have never talked about my wonderful new E-reader. The Nook Simple Touch, which has been named simply, Nook has taken over as THE Nook... if that makes any sense. Another way of saying this is that now the original Nook that first came out has been cast aside as "1st Edition Nook" and whenever you say the word Nook, you are almost always supposed to be referring to the Nook Touch.

Yea, a lot of marketing mumbo jumbo, but I learned this a little after I went and bought one. When I told them I wanted "that new Nook" the question I got was, "Oh, the Nook or the 1st Edition?" Oh... So the other one has been grounded already, so much for loyalty. Not that I blame them, I wouldn't have bothered to get this E-reader had I not found out that it was much improved for the 1st Edition -- pearl e-ink with smoother page turns and easy to use navigation.

The only complaint I have about having a Nook (which I'm sure is probably the same with any other E-reader out there) is that it is extremely dangerously easy to buy a new book. I actually had to force myself to quit reading from the Nook for a while so that I wouldn't think about spending more money. I mean, with the touch of a button, you confirm a buy and then "ZIP!" the book is now part of your library.

Case in point, within the past two weeks, I ended up pre-ordering three books and buying three more. While you don't get charged for the pre-ordered book until it is actually available, you've still spent that money.

Otherwise, I love my Nook! No one seems to understand just how much of a bookworm I am and just HOW much I love that I have an entire library in one little package. Yes, I still have a bunch of paperback books to try reading, but I'm still in that "My Nook is so cool to make use of" phase that I don't care to pick up a real book and flip through real pages again... at least not for a while. I still have dreams of owning an entire library fit with rolling shelf ladders, a giant fire place and cushy seating and all... but that doesn't mean I have to read ALL of those books. Although it would be cool if I can claim to have read all the books I own.

Once again, the book worm nerd in me is all squee about stuff like that.


In other news, the holidays are approaching and one of my closest friends will be coming back for some relaxing and hanging out and fun.

Otherwise... well, not much else is going on. *sigh*

squinty eyed sleepy makes for cranky too

courtesy of urban distortion

Currently I feel like this. I've had about four and a half hours of sleep... so what am I complaining about, right? Well, the plan had been to get five and a half hours of sleep. So I'm a bit distraught that I was awoken before I intended to be awake. Having set my alarm for noon-thirty, I was ungracefully awaken by the sound of my dog barking up a storm an hour earlier. It was like an extremely unpleasant alarm that you couldn't hit snooze on.

Yes. Aggravating.

But it's my fault, really... I'm a workaholic and I chose to have a strange and hectic work schedule. Going from a third shift (10:30 PM to 6:30 AM), coming home to sleep for whatever hours I can grasp and then waking up in time to get to second shift (2:15 PM to 10:45 PM) was my own choice. I don't like that choice, but as I keep telling everyone: "Work is work. The hours don't matter to me, because it's a job."

Well, I can really only say that when I'm NOT still half asleep and feeling like the world is spinning marathons around my brain.

It's also a cold morning too... afternoon?... And so it doesn't help that I really just want to crawl back under my covers.

I think this is the most excitement I've had in real life in a LONG time. Well, at the very least it's the most blog-worthy excitement I've had since September... or earlier, I guess since my last two posts were really just elaborating on history. And to be honest, history is just filler right now.

Sad.

***

In other news, I guess I'd never truly mentioned other exciting things. My parents went to Vancouver for a few days to visit and have a mini-vacation. It was great for them and great for us, if only because they got to have a relaxing trip away from home, and I got to learn the horrifying facts about my own brothers' domestic common sense. Apparently, outside of dropping debris in the trashcan, there is very little else they will do in the manner of house chores. Oh wait... sometimes they don't even do THAT either.

This house is like a hotel to them. They sleep, they shower, they sit around and relax, they work on job related stuff, they play... and that's about it. Sometimes they don't even really present themselves at home long enough for me to see them and then other times they come upstairs long enough to tell me that they aren't staying home for dinner. I guess the latter part of that isn't too bad; it means I don't have to cook anything. But then if I don't, when they wake up in the morning and are scrounging through the fridge, there will be no leftovers for them to try to reheat for sustenance.

I pity the women who have to spend the rest of their lives with any of my brothers. Then again, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it, because those dorks will find themselves shocking surprised that not every girl in this world will be willing to take on their daily domestic chores.

Then again, with MY luck, when any of them DO finally get married, they might miraculously know how to wash dishes and take out the trash. Then I'll just be sneering because right now, it pains me to have to tell them over and over again that trash goes into the trash can and dishes don't wash themselves. "Please, when you open a package or a box, throw away the trash that comes with it, into the trash can." But no, it gets left sitting on a counter or on the kitchen table and all I can do is stare at it and frown really hard, hoping that somehow it'll entice my brother to come back and deposit his garbage somewhere more appropriate.

And so said trash article sits on the kitchen table until I can't take it anymore or Mom shows up to casually toss it into its haven.

***

In other news, I have been steadfastly reading books and watching my beloved drama, Asian style. It irks me that saying the words "Asian drama" comes with some negative connotations of teeny bopper chick flicks, but I guess I have to forgive the masses for being ignorant. Asian drama series encompass the same excitement and wonder as any television series you see on American television; the only differences are the culture and the structure.

So I've been keeping myself quite occupied with fictional worlds. That may or may not be a good thing. My real world consists of work, work, house chores, work, house chores... and then more house chores. Speaking of which, my laundry has yet to be finished even though I started it sometime yesterday...

Book-wise, I've taken on a new genre, although I've realized that the trendy new dystopian fantasies for young adults has been marketed on too extreme. Having finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy, I found myself picking up similar types of stories. But unfortunately, either my first dystopian novel ruined the rest for me, or the rest really just aren't as good because they dive into the same concepts and same ideals with different characters and different situations. Nonetheless, even with an overused cliche, a good book doesn't make you feel exhausted. I just haven't found a good one yet, I guess, to rival my first experience of Hunger Games.

Although it's not like dystopian novels haven't always been around. I think that for me, Hunger Games pretty much brought the idea into a more popular light. So I'll have to keep looking for more books until I can find one that I like.

On a side note, I've had thoughts about writing an essay-like post on my blog detailing the concepts and ideas of dystopian literature... Even had a whole discussion with my brother about it. But outside of "Dystopian literature is defined as (insert proper definition here)...." I haven't quite figured out what else I could write about it. I'm thinking I should at least read some more books and familiarize myself with the subject before attempting anything.