In Pursuit of Journey

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

November 14th, 2011

Amazon supports online taxes

Taxes are coming to the internet… not this year, but soon.

The recently introduced Marketplace Fairness Act has the support of the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon. Surprising? Perhaps at first glance. But as this article states, it is in the retail giant’s interest to pursue federal regulation to avoid state-by-state activity on the issue (imagine the operational crazy that would ensue). Plus, this country is in dire need of revenue to pay for the stimulus package, healthcare reform, etc. and I’d argue that digital law is behind.

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October 24th, 2011

Aloft by Chang Rae Lee

I expected to enjoy Aloft more than I did, based on my read of Chang Rae Lee’s Native Speaker (which was a wonderful). The protagonist, Jerry Battle, is a man on the brink of 60, who has lived his life by coasting above the ‘hard stuff.’ The book begins with him buying a small plane. When he flies, he can leave everything behind – just as he has his whole life. Through a series of events, he learns to look beyond himself and at the needs of his loved ones. .

Though the book is well written, it was oddly unsatisfying as a whole. Aloft captures Jerry’s life from his point of view, which results in mundane details and lack of emotional connection. There is a lot of detail on characters that I did not care about while too little on others. As a flawed patriarch, the protagonist does not elicit much sympathy. In the end, though he goes through the motions of ‘change’, it is not believable for me.

I recognize that I may be biased due to personal expectations. What made Native Speaker so powerful is the way it handled identity, alienation, and assimilation of immigrants and their children… the impacts it discussed were mundane yet profound, unexpected yet uncontrollable. It really made me think about my own upbringing and how it would impact me and my relationships with others.

Aloft tries to be multi-faceted but there seems to be too much going on. To give it credit, it does have some discussion of race and identity (with Battle as a second generation Italian-American who marries an Asian woman and dates a Puerto Rican woman, and several inter-racial couples) but it didn’t come together as a whole for me.

Chang Rae Lee is a great author who writes beautiful prose. I don’t recommend Aloft, but I highly recommend Native Speaker… I’m very much looking forward to reading his other books, The Gesture Life and The Surrendered.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2N6ZLECVWK4VV/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

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October 24th, 2011

Waiting by Ha Jin

Waiting is a hauntingly graceful story of a man torn between love and convention. Set in communist China, Lin Kong, the protagonist, is an army doctor from the country side. He has a wife, Shuyu, in the countryside who he thinks of as old fashioned, unlearned, and unfashionable. He makes his life in the city and eventually connects with emotionally (NOT physically) another woman, Manna. Lin goes home year after year to try to divorce his wife, for 18 years, as Manna waits for him. He realizes finally that he has “waited eighteen years just for the sake of waiting.” On this backdrop, we learn a surprising amount about politics and life in communist China.

Its simple style makes for an elegant and smooth read. The introspection tends to make the book drag. However, it very fitting for a book titled Waiting. I found that just as I started to get bored, the book offered a few surprises. Don’t take just my recommendation – it won the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award. With that said, I don’t think it’s a book everyone would enjoy.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R13JZIBGXH8J62/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

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October 18th, 2011

5 posts and 14 months ago

5 posts and 14 months ago, I wrote about having to revamp. What a sad, half hearted attempt that’s been.

5 posts and 14 months later, I’m caught up another passion to write again, re-envision my blog and myself.

Style blog? Nope, that was a passing fancy, the ‘fashionable thing’ to do, and now that I’m ‘growing up’ I will more appropriately leave it to my more fashionable friends. Travel blog? Maybe, I do love traveling but I love the experience, not the act of remembering. Perhaps I could expand to share about my travels, physical and otherwise… through fear and fiction, love and life? Maybe, but it sounds so superficially deep, something striving to be more than it is. Is it even appropriate for someone who works professionally to have a personal blog, so wholly unconnected to their line of work?

I’ve been reading again. I think that’s what’s gotten me into this mood of writing, of introspection. I miss feeling impractically creative, exploiting the ambiguity of language, writing impossibly awful metaphors, having something to say. So here you have it, another attempt at writing and of course, rebranding. Humor me as I walk you through the thought process that got me to “In Pursuit of Journey” :

1. Zoomed through 100′s of WordPress themes to find the ‘right’ look. Narrowed it down to 3.

2. One theme featured a girl looking out above a white picket fence. Intrigued by the idea of “looking out” (and not within).

3. Played with the idea of “Journey”
- Journey Girl > found out it is the name of a popular line of dolls (wtf?)

4. Moved to titles of my favorite books of late:
- Anna Karenina > eh, doesn’t really have the right ring to it
- Native Speaker > except I AM a native speaker and while identity issues are fascinating, they don’t plague me
- Aloft > not bad, my life is in flight but I don’t want it to define me
- Pride & Prejudice > can’t write two sides of my life, the point is MY perspective
- Top 100 books according to Time > too unconnected to me

5. Back to “Journey”, with the idea of traveling in (books) and out (side).
- Thesaurus for Journey > adventure, expedition, migration, odyssey, passage, progress, safari, sally, transit, travel, voyage, wandering, wayfaring
- I realized it wasn’t just a journey… because I don’t know where I’m going. So it’s me pursuing the journey. So there you have it: In Pursuit of Journey.

6. Finally, didn’t even use the WordPress theme that inspired the title — it was a bit too girly for my taste !

Now… Keep reading, you might find something to your fancy.

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March 22nd, 2010

A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink

First, let me make it clear that Pink’s targeted audience is an uneducated majority or a group looking for a quick read. He paints his argument in a black-and-white fashion, ignoring complexities, probably angering more sophisticated readers. In addition, he seems to be writing to a “right-brained” audience to reinforce thinking rather than to create converts. Reason is, his arguments are not supported with factual data, but rather with anecdotes. Although they read well, “left-brainers” will be disappointed if looking for any type of intellectual thesis. Also, if you’re shopping at Barnes & Noble, it will be found in “self-help,” a section that is less hard science and more motivational. Reading Pink’s book in this context will make it more enjoyable, because all in all, it’s not a terrible book.

It does make several big blunders.
1) It underestimates the capabilities of our Asian counterparts, reducing them to machines basically, while overestimating our own potential.
2) It encourages individuals to go into design fields, which economically, there is no demand for. Not to say it’s not important, it’s definitely a value-added function, but either the demand is being met or companies will have to find a way to make it a larger competitive advantage that can translate into $$. Apple has done it, but other companies have not.

On the other hand, it does have good overarching messages (when you read through the crap).
1) Society should focus on value-added activities because yes, a lot of jobs are replaceable through technological means.
2) American liberal arts education provides a very different perspective and way of thinking which can be an asset.
3) Parents (if reading) should encourage creative arts in conjunction with the hard sciences and maths because everyone learns differently, and having a balanced education provides better synthesis.

It’s not a bad book… just remember to read it in context of the author’s audience. I seriously doubt that Pink is actually as extreme as his book presents him to be.

With visionary flare, Pink argues that business and everyday life will soon be dominated by right-brain thinkers. He identifies the roots and implications of transitioning from a society dominated by left-brain thinkers into something entirely different—although at times, he seems to be exhorting rather than observing the trend. As a narrator, Pink delivers in a well executed manner, with occasional hints of enthusiasm. He maintains a steady voice that is well suited for a business-oriented text, and his crisp pronunciation and consistent pace keeps listeners engaged and at ease. Updated with new material. A Riverhead paperback (reviewed online). (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. [From Amazon.com]

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The Pursuer

/pərˈsuər/ [per-soo-er]
avid reader, shopper, and wine drinker on a pursuit of growth and world ~~exploration~~ domination

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