i am bored. with all my friends out of town, i am at a loss for social and intellectual stimulation. there are no interesting movies to watch, shows to attend, even the blogs i read seem to be on leave!
i hope that next week, next month will be better, that i will be overloaded with stimulation, which may even translate into more blog posts, inshallah!
30 June 2010
23 June 2010
ghostwritten
"Backpackers are strange. I have a lot in common with them. We live nowhere, and we are strangers everywhere. We drift, often on a whim, searching for something to search for. We are both parasites: I live in my hosts' minds, and sift through his or her memories to understand the world. Caspar's breed live in a host country that is never their own, and use its culture and landscape to learn, or stave off boredom."
"I know eleven languages, but there are some tunes that language cannot play... Sometimes language can't even read the music of meaning."
"On John's side of the bed was a John-shaped hollow. I rolled into it, the cosiest place on earth."
"Hives of life rumbled on the other sides of the floor, walls and ceiling. The tenement across the alley was so close that our window frames seemed to share the same glass."
i am always sad when i finish a book. more so, when it's one by david mitchell (or haruki murakami, whose influences can be found in mitchell's writing). ghostwritten was mitchell's first novel, and it was surprisingly difficult to get a hold of. when i saw it in the bookstore a while ago, i immediately picked it up!
like cloud atlas, ghostwritten consists of nine different stories. some of the chapters (themes and characters) were particularly enjoyable. i have to say that i was a little disappointed with the ending though, which leaves you somewhat hanging and with several questions unanswered. in that sense cloud atlas is much better thought out. regardless, i enjoyed the book, and mo muntervary, bat, zookeeper, noncorpa and the tea shack will stay with me awhile.
"I know eleven languages, but there are some tunes that language cannot play... Sometimes language can't even read the music of meaning."
"On John's side of the bed was a John-shaped hollow. I rolled into it, the cosiest place on earth."
"Hives of life rumbled on the other sides of the floor, walls and ceiling. The tenement across the alley was so close that our window frames seemed to share the same glass."
i am always sad when i finish a book. more so, when it's one by david mitchell (or haruki murakami, whose influences can be found in mitchell's writing). ghostwritten was mitchell's first novel, and it was surprisingly difficult to get a hold of. when i saw it in the bookstore a while ago, i immediately picked it up!
like cloud atlas, ghostwritten consists of nine different stories. some of the chapters (themes and characters) were particularly enjoyable. i have to say that i was a little disappointed with the ending though, which leaves you somewhat hanging and with several questions unanswered. in that sense cloud atlas is much better thought out. regardless, i enjoyed the book, and mo muntervary, bat, zookeeper, noncorpa and the tea shack will stay with me awhile.
june 17, 2010
so i can come back some time and laugh some more:
"Your energy is largely focused on--if not devoted to--the concept of love right now. Love really is all you need, especially when it arrives in such an amazing package. Someone has recently entered (or is just about to enter) your life, and you feel like they may actually be too good to be true. Stop pinching yourself and just open your eyes--this really is happening to you, and you don't want to miss it."
:)))
"Your energy is largely focused on--if not devoted to--the concept of love right now. Love really is all you need, especially when it arrives in such an amazing package. Someone has recently entered (or is just about to enter) your life, and you feel like they may actually be too good to be true. Stop pinching yourself and just open your eyes--this really is happening to you, and you don't want to miss it."
:)))
07 June 2010
a few news stories
Gaza flotilla activists were shot in head at close range
Exclusive: Nine Turkish men on board Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times, autopsy results reveal
Israel and the aid convoy: How to make enemies
Israel's defiant reaction to the raid on the Gaza aid convoy is almost as appalling as the attack itself
Israel's vivid act of piracy may yet turn the tide of global opinion
Like the Exodus in 1947, the Gaza aid flotilla has now etched itself on the mind – whatever the eventual consequences
Stephen Fry crowns most beautiful tweet at Hay Festival
one of the tweeters compares tweets to his facebook updates, which i love! fb's status update is my favorite feature i think. using a limited number of characters to articulate your thoughts channels your mind in ways you may not otherwise explore. which is also why i am fond of haiku :)
Exclusive: Nine Turkish men on board Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times, autopsy results reveal
Israel and the aid convoy: How to make enemies
Israel's defiant reaction to the raid on the Gaza aid convoy is almost as appalling as the attack itself
Israel's vivid act of piracy may yet turn the tide of global opinion
Like the Exodus in 1947, the Gaza aid flotilla has now etched itself on the mind – whatever the eventual consequences
Stephen Fry crowns most beautiful tweet at Hay Festival
one of the tweeters compares tweets to his facebook updates, which i love! fb's status update is my favorite feature i think. using a limited number of characters to articulate your thoughts channels your mind in ways you may not otherwise explore. which is also why i am fond of haiku :)
01 June 2010
the stuff of books
a few days ago, in random conversation, h brought up the fact that i used to copy memorable phrases and quotes from books into my journal -this simple act, while holding considerable importance to me, is one known only by a handful of people. h is perhaps the only family member to know this about me. i was quite taken aback that not only did he know, but he remembered. it felt nice.. perhaps more so because i have this irrational fear these days that the ME i know, will be left behind here and slowly drift into nothingness.. (clarifications in a future post!)
h then remarked that with all the books i read, i must have a trove of fascinating quotes stored in my head. if only! my memory is particularly poor when it comes to remembering phrases, lyrics, quotes. quite sad really. i recall telling the smartest girl in school about how wonderful 'the soong dynasty' by sterling seagrave was. her response: 'do you remember everything in all the books you read? no? then what's the point of reading them?!' many years later, many plots and characters have been long forgotten. this bothers me, but not enough to stop me from reading.. i wish i had a photographic memory, but i will make do with what i have; i will enjoy the moments of reading, the pleasure of acquainting myself with new worlds and friends, for however brief a time they stay with me.
h then remarked that with all the books i read, i must have a trove of fascinating quotes stored in my head. if only! my memory is particularly poor when it comes to remembering phrases, lyrics, quotes. quite sad really. i recall telling the smartest girl in school about how wonderful 'the soong dynasty' by sterling seagrave was. her response: 'do you remember everything in all the books you read? no? then what's the point of reading them?!' many years later, many plots and characters have been long forgotten. this bothers me, but not enough to stop me from reading.. i wish i had a photographic memory, but i will make do with what i have; i will enjoy the moments of reading, the pleasure of acquainting myself with new worlds and friends, for however brief a time they stay with me.
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