i like reading books. right now i am on the lookout for books to put on "the list". i also have a list for movies, it's a long one. i've been reading a lot of random things, i read obama's first book and it was real good so i want to read the other one. right now i'm reading "junky" by william s. burroughs, it's about a heroin addict. not something i relate to very much but it's interesting.
so why am i reading all these books? basically, i have a big test coming up. whenever i have big important things to do (like studying) i tend to find other more important things to do. i am reading my own books, getting my hands on whatever other books i can (friend's books) and even reading books i've already read. i enjoy reading and will start any book once or twice to see if i can get into it. if i read a few chapters, 20-30 pages and do not get into it, i usually put it down. and then there are those other books i pick up and read it without putting it down at all, not even to sleep. (harry potter!)
last year i had a list of 50 books to read. i think i read about five of them since i made the list. i got kind of tired of the classics and wanted to read different things, eventually i totally forgot about the list. for instance, i tried a few times to read "ulysses" by james joyce. it is at the top of many top 100 book lists. i just could not get into it. i will try again later.
so basically i want some suggestions for books. my friend is giving me a stack of her books, which includes some on my list of 50. also one she recommends is "a thousand splendid suns" by khaled hosseini who also wrote "kite runner" which i think i liked. i maybe didn't like the ending but i hear this new one is better.
anyway, my posts lately have been pretty lame. no pictures, nothing that interesting, nothing too in-depth or thought provoking. maybe when i'm done with this term. i am having my last school test ever...in 11 days. it's about pregnancy/OB stuff and GI. not really my strongest subjects but i will do my best. i will be "studying hard" the next 11 days....or reading.
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
06 March 2009
16 November 2008
#152 - simplify, simplify
i am sure i have a post already named this. i believe it is a quote from "walden" by thoreau. i read it in high school but definitely need to hit it again. it's timeless. so i don't know if anyone noticed but it's been a week since i've written a blog. that is a long time for me. what has happened, you may have wondered...maybe not. i moved into my new place on the 5th. it's a studio, it's awesome, i live by myself and i love it. i've never lived alone, always with family or roommates, both pains if you ask me. moving always forces you to take an inventory of your "stuff". i had three truck loads. part of that was goodwill donations and other things to get rid of. i decided i had no more use for those things and that someone needed it more than i. i am trying to simplify my life. i am always trying to do this, ask anyone i know! having my own place has made it easier though. i really take a certain pride in what my place looks and feels like. i want to make it home and if there is too much clutter everywhere it just doesn't feel that way.
physical "stuff" clutter is one thing. it is pretty easy to get rid of, if you make that decision. i cut my wardrobe probably in half because there were so many things i just never wore. i thought i would make good use of somethings and just didn't. i am wasteful and very privileged. i understand that, and take responsibility for my waste. my things have gone back into circulation, to people who need/want them more than i have use for. i am also dealing with other kinds of clutter - emotional, psychological and technological. the first two are a whole 'nother post.
i am working on less techy stuff though, i cut down my list of rss feeds. it became too taxing to read through all of them. i wasn't enjoying them anymore and just trying to get through them. most of them were food-related, food porn if you will. when i am bored i like to look at pictures of yummy food. the idea being i would cook those yummy things eventually but truthfully it never happens. i don't have enough time. if i need a recipe i can get one! so the ones i still have are friend's blogs, because i still want to know what's going on there. another thing is i have no internet at my place. at first i was worried because i NEED my internet! then as i thought about it more, if i have it 24/7 i'm on it 24/7. simple as that. so i am weaning myself off of internet. it's for the best. now i go online when i need/want to, not just to waste time. i want my time to be better spent than just mindlessly surfing the net. i go online at work on night shift, at school and i can go to a coffee shop anytime. laptops rule.
my blog has become kind of boring. since i don't have a lot of time to take pictures, i'm not. so there aren't any pictures. sorry. once i get my place in order i'll probably put some pics up. not quite there yet. i'm still figuring out where everything goes or should go. i'm getting rid of things as i go along, like the college graduation present i NEVER used (2003). it's kind of ridiculous how i have dragged things around with me to every new place (8 since 2004), sometimes the thing being a box of recycling i had to go through. ridiculous! i didn't just do it then, i always left it for later. such a procrastinator!! now i'm not saying i'm going to become a non-procrastinator, that just wouldn't be right. :)
one more thing for simplicity - "have to's". a lot of times we say that we have to do things. in reality, there is nothing you really HAVE TO do. you make choices everyday. maybe if you say no the result will be negative and worse than if you say yes, making it hard to say no. i am working on saying no and not using the phrase "have to". there is no use. do i have to get up, out of bed and to work? no, but then i wouldn't get paid and couldn't eat or pay rent. there are consequences to our actions. i don't have to stay at a job i don't like but if i am too lazy to find a new one then that is my problem. i don't have to ride the bus everywhere, i can buy a used car and work extra to make more money to pay for insurance and gas. i make the choice. it's nice to have that choice but at the same time, it's on my shoulders so i am responsible.
already i am freeing up time for things like playing my guitar and reading. i just finished "WICKED" which was pretty (wickedly) awesome. i wanted to read it before i saw the musical, which i was told and quickly realized isn't much like the book. the book is all dark and adult whereas the musical is appropro for kids as well. i'm curious to see how it'll turn out and what was changed from the book. i'm listening to the soundtrack too, i like to know the songs cause it's weird when you go see a musical and don't know the songs. so now i've got "popular" in my head right now. it's insane.
i'm working on another budget, since i've changed locations and other priorities. it will be simple, of course, and i want to drastically reduce my spending/consumerism. while it would be nice to be able to buy whatever i want, i am sort of glad i need to be on a budget because i am a crazy impulsive shopper who loves to spend money (that i don't have). i've always been responsible with my credit but basically i go out shopping then have to pick up extra shifts at work to pay for stuff. vicious cycle. i did that "no buying" for lent and that worked out well. i wonder if i could do it for a whole year, or more. just not buy things anymore. something to think about.
physical "stuff" clutter is one thing. it is pretty easy to get rid of, if you make that decision. i cut my wardrobe probably in half because there were so many things i just never wore. i thought i would make good use of somethings and just didn't. i am wasteful and very privileged. i understand that, and take responsibility for my waste. my things have gone back into circulation, to people who need/want them more than i have use for. i am also dealing with other kinds of clutter - emotional, psychological and technological. the first two are a whole 'nother post.
i am working on less techy stuff though, i cut down my list of rss feeds. it became too taxing to read through all of them. i wasn't enjoying them anymore and just trying to get through them. most of them were food-related, food porn if you will. when i am bored i like to look at pictures of yummy food. the idea being i would cook those yummy things eventually but truthfully it never happens. i don't have enough time. if i need a recipe i can get one! so the ones i still have are friend's blogs, because i still want to know what's going on there. another thing is i have no internet at my place. at first i was worried because i NEED my internet! then as i thought about it more, if i have it 24/7 i'm on it 24/7. simple as that. so i am weaning myself off of internet. it's for the best. now i go online when i need/want to, not just to waste time. i want my time to be better spent than just mindlessly surfing the net. i go online at work on night shift, at school and i can go to a coffee shop anytime. laptops rule.
my blog has become kind of boring. since i don't have a lot of time to take pictures, i'm not. so there aren't any pictures. sorry. once i get my place in order i'll probably put some pics up. not quite there yet. i'm still figuring out where everything goes or should go. i'm getting rid of things as i go along, like the college graduation present i NEVER used (2003). it's kind of ridiculous how i have dragged things around with me to every new place (8 since 2004), sometimes the thing being a box of recycling i had to go through. ridiculous! i didn't just do it then, i always left it for later. such a procrastinator!! now i'm not saying i'm going to become a non-procrastinator, that just wouldn't be right. :)
one more thing for simplicity - "have to's". a lot of times we say that we have to do things. in reality, there is nothing you really HAVE TO do. you make choices everyday. maybe if you say no the result will be negative and worse than if you say yes, making it hard to say no. i am working on saying no and not using the phrase "have to". there is no use. do i have to get up, out of bed and to work? no, but then i wouldn't get paid and couldn't eat or pay rent. there are consequences to our actions. i don't have to stay at a job i don't like but if i am too lazy to find a new one then that is my problem. i don't have to ride the bus everywhere, i can buy a used car and work extra to make more money to pay for insurance and gas. i make the choice. it's nice to have that choice but at the same time, it's on my shoulders so i am responsible.
already i am freeing up time for things like playing my guitar and reading. i just finished "WICKED" which was pretty (wickedly) awesome. i wanted to read it before i saw the musical, which i was told and quickly realized isn't much like the book. the book is all dark and adult whereas the musical is appropro for kids as well. i'm curious to see how it'll turn out and what was changed from the book. i'm listening to the soundtrack too, i like to know the songs cause it's weird when you go see a musical and don't know the songs. so now i've got "popular" in my head right now. it's insane.
i'm working on another budget, since i've changed locations and other priorities. it will be simple, of course, and i want to drastically reduce my spending/consumerism. while it would be nice to be able to buy whatever i want, i am sort of glad i need to be on a budget because i am a crazy impulsive shopper who loves to spend money (that i don't have). i've always been responsible with my credit but basically i go out shopping then have to pick up extra shifts at work to pay for stuff. vicious cycle. i did that "no buying" for lent and that worked out well. i wonder if i could do it for a whole year, or more. just not buy things anymore. something to think about.
01 April 2008
#90 - myself
reading my blog from yesterday and then finishing my book eat, pray, love, i realized (again) that i am everywhere. not in the same idea as "God is everywhere" but i am all over the place mentally. on one side i've got crazy, bitter, resentful, angry, frustrated, embarrassed nursing student. on the other i've got calm, stress-free, life-living, soul-searching, caring student of life trying to make a difference in this world.
i got this little blurb out of the book: the bhagavad gita says "it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." i've read the gita and must read it again. that's wisdom and sage advice. i believe your twenties are really about trying to figure things out and coming to terms with the person you are, the person you want to be and the person you are becoming. these three people are (at the moment) not one and the same. for some people they are and others it takes longer. it's important to me to continually think about this. that way i've got accountability for myself (present and future).
at the end and start of every month i do a little thinking/analyzing about how the past month was and what i want out of the next one. a little check and re-check. what did i accomplish last month and what do i want to accomplish next? in the book, she writes that in bali common greetings are "where are you going?" and "where are you coming from?"
so where was i last month?
i was enjoying the last of my extended break from school. i went out a lot, hung out with friends, ate food, met people, stayed out late and basically paid for it in the end when i got a flu-like sickness. i slept for 14 hours the other day cause i was so exhausted. it's good to get it out of my system, the craziness. that is not to say there won't be some fun and crazy times this month, but they will be few and far between. i gave up shopping for lent and that worked out well, still haven't bought anything. and if anything, it's taught me to really think about things that i need. for example, my ipod that died. i have a shuffle and right now that is working out just fine for me. it's a little annoying when on a ride of longer than an hour because by then i want to listen to something other than one of the 250 songs that can fit. but lent has been over for a week and i haven't rushed out and bought my ipod (leaning towards the classic). i have to think about other things that i really need. i've got a trip coming up and need/want a few things for it. not even going to risk taking my ipod so i'll buy it when i get back, if i have any money left.
where am i going this month?
my main focus will be on school. i have the one class - pathophysiology. i will be a superstar and i will know things. i will study hard and i will do well. at the same time, i need to deal with my angry/bitter side by throwing dodgeballs at people. so i will be playing lots of dodgeball. i'm also going to be working a few times a week. so school, work and dodgeball. so out of 168 hours a week:
while i'm always thinking about the person i want to become and my future self, i often feel i need to focus more on the now, the present.
i got this little blurb out of the book: the bhagavad gita says "it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." i've read the gita and must read it again. that's wisdom and sage advice. i believe your twenties are really about trying to figure things out and coming to terms with the person you are, the person you want to be and the person you are becoming. these three people are (at the moment) not one and the same. for some people they are and others it takes longer. it's important to me to continually think about this. that way i've got accountability for myself (present and future).
at the end and start of every month i do a little thinking/analyzing about how the past month was and what i want out of the next one. a little check and re-check. what did i accomplish last month and what do i want to accomplish next? in the book, she writes that in bali common greetings are "where are you going?" and "where are you coming from?"
so where was i last month?
i was enjoying the last of my extended break from school. i went out a lot, hung out with friends, ate food, met people, stayed out late and basically paid for it in the end when i got a flu-like sickness. i slept for 14 hours the other day cause i was so exhausted. it's good to get it out of my system, the craziness. that is not to say there won't be some fun and crazy times this month, but they will be few and far between. i gave up shopping for lent and that worked out well, still haven't bought anything. and if anything, it's taught me to really think about things that i need. for example, my ipod that died. i have a shuffle and right now that is working out just fine for me. it's a little annoying when on a ride of longer than an hour because by then i want to listen to something other than one of the 250 songs that can fit. but lent has been over for a week and i haven't rushed out and bought my ipod (leaning towards the classic). i have to think about other things that i really need. i've got a trip coming up and need/want a few things for it. not even going to risk taking my ipod so i'll buy it when i get back, if i have any money left.
where am i going this month?
my main focus will be on school. i have the one class - pathophysiology. i will be a superstar and i will know things. i will study hard and i will do well. at the same time, i need to deal with my angry/bitter side by throwing dodgeballs at people. so i will be playing lots of dodgeball. i'm also going to be working a few times a week. so school, work and dodgeball. so out of 168 hours a week:
- 56 hours sleeping (8 hours a day, average)
- 24 hours working
- 12 hours AT SCHOOL on mondays
- 6 hours playing dodgeball
while i'm always thinking about the person i want to become and my future self, i often feel i need to focus more on the now, the present.
no day but today -renti neglect the now self. the only way to truly appreciate life is to embrace that self, no matter how flawed or wrong it feels. embracing it doesn't mean being content. you've got to love yourself first! i've never believed that contentment is a good thing. i don't mean contentment of material possessions (this is good), but always trying to be better. becoming a better person. no one is, was or ever will be perfect. some would argue that if you're always trying for something else you'll never appreciate what you have. i would have to disagree and say that being content with what you have will make you complacent and lax. it would me anyway. i appreciate everything i have, whether it was given to me or i have earned it. it doesn't mean i don't want to better myself. i do.
24 March 2008
#86 - tony bourdain!
i just love this man!
i read a couple of his books and quite frankly, they were awesome! kitchen confidential and a cook's tour were great books for me, nonstop exciting and interesting stuff. the first about his career in the kitchen, where if you don't know any chefs it's a total eye-opener. the second is tony traveling around the world, eating everything in sight, making a show while writing a book. he is upfront with his opinions and makes many valid points. i agree 100% with him on sandra lee (semi-homemade). i HATE that show and her as well, as much as i could hate a person who i don't know who is seemingly harmless, trying to help people who have no idea make food. i am in no way ever tempted to make food she makes. yuck.
i love tony. i mean he's got a show about food, eating, drinking and traveling. what else is there? he always says "i'm a pleasure-seeking person". i totally know what that means and i am sooooooooo the same way. i do things because they feel good or taste good. food/eating makes me happy.
he says very intelligent things despite sounding like an ass sometimes. he is so funny and entertaining. he's got this thing about/against vegetarians and i was one once. i am now not, because i love meat. i love ribs, salami, fried chicken, bacon, lamb, ham, beef brisket, etc. why deny myself? i also love vegetables and tofu and vegetarian foods. i mostly cook and eat veggie but enjoy just about every piece of meat i've ever eaten.
the things he says about the endearing people of third world countries and traveling making you a different person are totally just honest and true. everyone around the world is basically the same. we all need to eat and traditionally it is where people come together. food and drink brings the world together. the majority of people around the world cannot afford to make a choice to eat meat or not, they are just trying to survive. i am so priviledged and lucky to be born in the country/family that i was. i will never really understand the other side no matter how many of those countries i visit or how many people i meet. that's just how it is and so i have to do what i can with it. appreciate it!
i read a couple of his books and quite frankly, they were awesome! kitchen confidential and a cook's tour were great books for me, nonstop exciting and interesting stuff. the first about his career in the kitchen, where if you don't know any chefs it's a total eye-opener. the second is tony traveling around the world, eating everything in sight, making a show while writing a book. he is upfront with his opinions and makes many valid points. i agree 100% with him on sandra lee (semi-homemade). i HATE that show and her as well, as much as i could hate a person who i don't know who is seemingly harmless, trying to help people who have no idea make food. i am in no way ever tempted to make food she makes. yuck.
i love tony. i mean he's got a show about food, eating, drinking and traveling. what else is there? he always says "i'm a pleasure-seeking person". i totally know what that means and i am sooooooooo the same way. i do things because they feel good or taste good. food/eating makes me happy.
he says very intelligent things despite sounding like an ass sometimes. he is so funny and entertaining. he's got this thing about/against vegetarians and i was one once. i am now not, because i love meat. i love ribs, salami, fried chicken, bacon, lamb, ham, beef brisket, etc. why deny myself? i also love vegetables and tofu and vegetarian foods. i mostly cook and eat veggie but enjoy just about every piece of meat i've ever eaten.
the things he says about the endearing people of third world countries and traveling making you a different person are totally just honest and true. everyone around the world is basically the same. we all need to eat and traditionally it is where people come together. food and drink brings the world together. the majority of people around the world cannot afford to make a choice to eat meat or not, they are just trying to survive. i am so priviledged and lucky to be born in the country/family that i was. i will never really understand the other side no matter how many of those countries i visit or how many people i meet. that's just how it is and so i have to do what i can with it. appreciate it!
17 October 2007
#14 - kurt vonnegut
i'm not sure where i've been and what i've been reading but it hasn't been kurt vonnegut. i did read one book, galapagos, which was pretty awesome but it never extended beyond that. why didn't i pick up the next one and read on, what was i doing?! i was definitely missing out.
three separate guys i know love kurt vonnegut. he is their favorite author. i've never had a favorite author. i guess i'm not well read but still yet i should have a favorite...besides jk rowling cause that's just juvenile. i do like dave eggers but i'm not sure if its because a heartbreaking work was great for me to read. i liked chuck palahniuk's fight club but i saw the movie first, and i read a few of his other books. i enjoyed it but it wasn't mind blowing or even categorizable as a favorite. i like a lot of nonfiction (workout books, cookbooks, nutrition, architecture, house building/design, green design, sustainability) but never really the whole way through in detail. i have a few favorite books but reading other books by the same author didn't really excite me.
now at the insistence of a good friend i am reading cat's cradle. it's awesomely ridiculous, i love it. i know it will end soon and for that i am nervous because i generally don't like endings. maybe that's why i don't read novels. hmm. a couple interesting quotes from the book:
okay it's not the most substantial quote but so true for people in my class. why do they have the need to speak up in class? to prove how smart they are? we are all in the same nursing class so obviously we're smart enough to be here but they must always open their mouths. a better one:
ha!
after i finish cat's cradle i'll start on slaughterhouse-five since i've got that on loan from my friend. i like that it's easy to read, funny, interesting, and different.
three separate guys i know love kurt vonnegut. he is their favorite author. i've never had a favorite author. i guess i'm not well read but still yet i should have a favorite...besides jk rowling cause that's just juvenile. i do like dave eggers but i'm not sure if its because a heartbreaking work was great for me to read. i liked chuck palahniuk's fight club but i saw the movie first, and i read a few of his other books. i enjoyed it but it wasn't mind blowing or even categorizable as a favorite. i like a lot of nonfiction (workout books, cookbooks, nutrition, architecture, house building/design, green design, sustainability) but never really the whole way through in detail. i have a few favorite books but reading other books by the same author didn't really excite me.
now at the insistence of a good friend i am reading cat's cradle. it's awesomely ridiculous, i love it. i know it will end soon and for that i am nervous because i generally don't like endings. maybe that's why i don't read novels. hmm. a couple interesting quotes from the book:
"a pissant is somebody who thinks he's so damn smart, he never can keep his mouth shut. no matter what anybody says, he's got to argue with it."
okay it's not the most substantial quote but so true for people in my class. why do they have the need to speak up in class? to prove how smart they are? we are all in the same nursing class so obviously we're smart enough to be here but they must always open their mouths. a better one:
"maturity", Bokonon tells us, "is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything."
ha!
after i finish cat's cradle i'll start on slaughterhouse-five since i've got that on loan from my friend. i like that it's easy to read, funny, interesting, and different.
"what is god? what is love?"
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