It's been a pretty great month so far.
Read some books, started on guidebooks, started habits like reading lecture notes and doing tutorials asap, arranging consultations, sleeping early, making full use of break times and the such.
There's loads more to be done: I gotta contribute verbally in classes, for even if answers are in there if you don't open your mouth no one knows and it's the way the world works. Of course my thoughts have room for improvement but often times you realize it's actually correct/worth considering and it's really the speaking that's the work-- I gotta stop freaking out.
And um, I still don't act very well.
And a fresh start doesn't equate to beautiful math skills for a change. :<
Or chem for that matter, but this lil baby step forward still means something.
Every inch of my body aches and I have a medical checkup first thing tomorrow morning, so that's something to look forward to. Few days ago I unintentionally missed a lesson (and no, it's not because I didn't look at my timetable properly or any silly reason of that sort). I don't do such things on a whim. But the mistake was named 'playing truant', and one can only explain that much-- It's up to the teacher to believe me--- And that was one hell of a day. The next day was pretty good as a result, so that was that.
So yeah.
Listed below are a couple quick reads of the month.
1) Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I've heard truckloads of good things about this book, and I finally managed to get my hands on one. The story follows a middle school boy who is born with birth defects that makes him not look 'normal', and who goes to school for the first time instead of being homeschooled. It talks about people's judgment and the real and ugly ways in which humans would treat someone who looks, well, abnormal. (I really want to phrase this better tho.) There is a frequent mention of 'deformity', and it's both heart wrenching and memorable. Personally I didn't like that there were two faced characters inside in that it was middle school drama all the way through, ranging from 'popularity' and the such. (That's why I didn't like 'Mean Girls'.) Still, the fact that middle school kids--the age where you know exactly what you're saying, but would still say it anyway--- makes it a powerful book, with the drama being precisely the tool that makes things believable and true. There too is family in this, and I loved loved loved the quote: "no, no, it's not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely, and the universe doesn't. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. like with parents who adore you blindly, and a big sister who feels guilty for being human over you. and a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds."
The ending was idealistic but sweet, fuzzy despite the predictability. This book, in short, has impact; I recommend it.
2) The Goats by Brock Cole
Two children are bullied, stripped, and thrown onto an island. One later finds out that it is a tradition of the school, where it's supposedly a 'stage of growing up' and where the boy finds his 'manhood'. In short, the title explains it all: They're treated as and expected to be goats, as livestock, who mate the second they're alone and naked. And while it is a sickening theory, it doesn't sidetrack us from the main reason-- Bullying, and a bit of the 'rationale' behind it. Even adults ignore what they observe.. It makes you uncomfortable reading it. Oh, oh. I forgot. I was summarizing this book
The guy then decides to disappear along with the girl as an act of protection: For who knew what the kids might do to them when they returned in the morning? What about the humiliation?-- But more so than that, it was an act of defiance. The boy was no coward; He just didn't know how to deal with it.
Second, there was the undercurrent of sexual content, but it never takes over to distract us from the main ideas of the books, or for cheap entertainment purposes. While the boy observed the girl's naked body, there was no sexual desire concerned. Their relationship never went in that direction, but every single adult who looked and saw them together instinctively jumped to the conclusion that they were sexual partners and people to be abhorred. Which gives rise to the thought: Pedophiles see children as sexual objects. These people do too, don't they? The only difference would be that pedophiles feel sexual attraction Towards the children and sexualise them, whereas adults do not feel that urge themselves but still regard the children as sexual objects. 'If you look at a child and see something sexual, there's something wrong with you.' ... Hm.
Aren't we all hypocrites then? Aren't we all not as good as we'd like to think?
That was what I was wondering anyway.
3) Darkest Hour by Virginia Andrews
It was good, then it just became this escalation of a growing girl's terrible life. Halfway through I was all "Okay we get it, she's sad. Everything that can possibly break a person happens to her." Niles a charming and sweet boyfriend-to-be died a senseless death, the leaving of the servants were predictable, the father was obviously going to rape her and she was definitely going to get pregnant.I cried oceans and oceans of tears, but it wasn't enjoyable. I didn't learn anything, there weren't arguments raised by the book... It was, in my narrow opinion, written solely for entertainmet's sake. Like can you at least kill characters with some deeper reason and meaning behind it? Also there was so much religion and there was character growth but it just wasn't enough; Ups were clearly there for the sake of the downs, and there is no surprise element.
The reason for my disappointment is that it is supposedly a 'bestseller' and the synopsis promised a cliched but sweet sounding love story... That only came true for the last thirty pages of the book-- out of 400 plus. Go figure.
The only good thing was probably the ending, where she become an independent young woman-- But the guy didn't truly love her and had affairs like one would breathe.
In conclusion, this was a highly realistic book in that characters sounded real, and playboys don't convert, at least not in every single story. Still, I couldn't find meaning in it, and that upsets me.
4) Divergent by Veronica Roth
I needed to know what the hype was about. It was such a great deal too---3 for $10! I got the Hunger games trilogy at that price too, so that was awesome :>
And um since my Bio lecturer kinda fitsthe description I may or may not have had him acting out the scenes in my head. *Digs a hole and burrows deep into the earth*
Just... Forget that I wrote that.
Thank you.
A summary probably isn't needed here, so I'll just get to it. Divergent probably means the idea that none of us can be boxed into a single crate, that having all sorts of personas within yourself is what makes you unique, that predictability is what makes you controllable and vice versa... Am stating the obvious here. Love story was nice and slightly different, action was painful to picture, and it was very true: Showing weakness is what makes people feel closer, and want to get closer to you. Similar to how intelligent people act duller in real life. Similar to having to open up before others open up to you, though of course half of the population aren't like that. "I don't need them, but do I want them?"
Do you?
5) Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I think you saw this coming.
I don't even wanna gush too much about it anymore: This book is officially my favorite--- For now. The movie altered some things (yes I rewatched it) but I still really enjoyed it. Loving the book. Love Charlie. Love Sam. Love how messed up the people are, how they all make mistakes, shatter, and pick up the poisonous shards only to wound themselves all over again or to glue them back together with flimsy threads called Time and Love.
Goodness gracious I'm definitely failing Lit with this level of coherence.
So yes. Five books is okay I suppose, but I intend to either maintain it or step up my game from now on. Same goes to studies. Especially studies. This one year really wouldn't be as easy anymore, so I really gotta change myself for that. Welp. Let's do it shall we?
Here's to the upcoming month, 加油加油加油!!
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