Book List: Half the Sky - Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
The Social Animal - David Brooks
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (again!)
Everything is Obvious *Once You Know the Answer - Duncan Watts
Remix - Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy - Lawrence Lessig
Visualize This - Nathan Yau
Movie List: Sideways
Drive
A Scanner Darkly
City of God
City of Lost Children
Little Children
Norwegian Wood
An Affair to Remember
Nights of Cabiria
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Closer
Hugo
“So, what do you go for in a girl?”
He crows, lifting a lager to his lips
Gestures where his mate sits
Downs his glass
“He prefers tits,
I prefer arse.
What do you go for in a girl?”
I don’t feel comfortable
The air left the room a long time ago
All eyes are on me
Well, if you must know
I like a girl who reads
Yeah. Reads.
I’m not trying to call you a chauvinist
Cos I know you’re not alone in this
but…
I want a girl who reads
Who needs the written word
And uses the added vocabulary
She gleans from novels and poetry
To hold lively conversation
In a range of social situations
I want a girl who reads
Who’s heart bleeds at the words of Graham Greene
Or even Heat magazine
Who’ll tie back her hair while reading Jane Eyre
and goes cover to cover with each Waterstones three for two offer
but I want a girl who doesn’t stop there
I want a girl who reads
Who feeds her addiction for fiction
With unusual poems and plays
That she hunts out in crooked bookshops for days and days and days
She’ll sit addicted at breakfast, soaking up the back of the Cornflakes box
And the information she gets from what she reads makes her a total fox
Cos she’s interesting & unique
And her theories make me go weak at the knees
I want a girl who reads
A girl who’s eyes will analyze
The menu over dinner
Who’ll use what she learns to kick my ass in arguments
so she always ends the winner
But she’ll still be sweet and she’d still be flirty
Cos she loves the classics and the classics are dirty
So late at night she’d always have me in a stupor
As she paraphrases the raunchier moments from the works of Jilly Cooper
See, some guys prefer arses
Some prefer tits
And I’m not saying that I don’t like those bits
But what’s more important
What supersedes for me
Is a girl a with passion, wit and dreams
So I want a girl who reads.
Don’t date a girl who reads because girls who read are the storytellers. You with the Joyce, you with the Nabokov, you with the Woolf. You there in the library, on the platform of the metro, you in the corner of the café, you in the window of your room. You, who make my life so god damned difficult. The girl who reads has spun out the account of her life and it is bursting with meaning. She insists that her narratives are rich, her supporting cast colorful, and her typeface bold. You, the girl who reads, make me want to be everything that I am not. But I am weak and I will fail you, because you have dreamed, properly, of someone who is better than I am. You will not accept the life that I told of at the beginning of this piece. You will accept nothing less than passion, and perfection, and a life worthy of being storied. So out with you, girl who reads. Take the next southbound train and take your Hemingway with you. I hate you. I really, really, really hate you.
Summary: A topic that comes up a lot in this blog is the idea of connectivity - how we humans are fundamentally social animals that need authentic and deep connections with others. We need connections to live fully and meaningfully. An important facet of facilitating such connections is allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Vulnerability often leads to unhappiness, shame, and disappointment, which is why we often avoid situations that require it. But it is also the wellspring of joy, fulfillment, and love. To be vulnerable is to experience all of these feelings, and we cannot avoid it by numbing ourselves or pushing ourselves away, because in doing so, we lose chances to find true connections.
“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around.
You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more.
You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.
When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement.
They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself.
Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful.
There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around.
You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are.
The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever.
Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again.
Colours seem brighter and more brilliant.
Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all.
A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face.
In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby.
Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you.
You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do.
Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.
You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible.
You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you.
You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end.
Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile.
Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”
Looking back on the year 2011, I honestly think it's been the best year of my life so far. I moved to a whole new place and met and got to know the best people. I challenged myself to do the things that made me scared or uncomfortable and am so much the better for it. Here is to 2012 and continuing to face my fears.
Here are some photos from just the last couple months.
I'm Amy, living in TX and NJ, and preparing for school in the UK. email me at amyxzhang@yahoo.com.
"I'm a modern girl but I fold in half so easily when I put myself in the picture of success"
I made this blog to chronicle all the things that I come across and find inspiring, new, or though-provoking. It is also my place to reflect/muse on experiences, people, or ideas that make me think too much.
If there is something here that is copyrighted to you, and wish it to be taken down, I will be more than obliging! Just give me an email. Also, please don't direct link to any songs I put up!
