Why You Should Read Books You Hate

I can't remember why I picked up this book, or what piqued my initial curiosity. Thanks to the library, though, I finally got around to finishing it and boy did it make me think a lot. My thoughts in no particular order:

1. I am simultaneously relieved and disappointed that my mom wasn't much of a tiger mom. I'm sure my younger self was glad she wasn't as strict/cruel/militaristic/etc. as Amy Chua's exaggerated character. Still, older me is wondering why the hell he can't get his act together and get shit done sometimes. I wonder if where I am today could've been improved with a stricter, but better guided childhood.

2. When I have kids, I wonder how I'll approach child rearing, especially now that I'll have this book gnawing at the back of my mind. There's not question that I'm far more familiar with the Western style of raising children, but I also wouldn't want to rely solely on that to get my kids through to adulthood. I definitely see where I have very Asian values (filial piety, respect for elders, default humility), and some of those things, at least, are values I want my kids to have.

3. Something that really struck a chord with me was the part where Amy Chua's mother-in-law comes to live the rest of her years with Chua's family. It makes me think about what will happen when my parents are old and retired. Will I be the one to take them in? Will one of my brothers? Will they elect to live on their own?

For anyone who's gotten to this point in the post, I recommend grabbing this one (pro-tip: get it from your library) and reading it. Even if you're not into the whole idea of having a family, I think it's entertaining enough to hold up on its own.

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Chinese Chess - Cờ Tướng - 象棋

The latest interest I've taken in my quest to learn more about my Vietnamese heritage is the game of Chinese chess. It is a bit ironic to look for Vietnamese culture in a game that has the word "Chinese" in its name, but I found that it is only so for the sake of translation. I have taken to this game for a number of reasons. 1. The game has cool historical references that have survived even today. Let's start with the board itself. Unlike a chess board, which is played on the squares, Chinese chess is played on the intersections of lines. What is most recognizably different from normal chess boards, however, is the large gap in the middle of the board as well as the lines that form an "x" on opposites sides of the board. The square that contains the "x" is known as the "fortress," or 宮(gōng ) in Chinese. The center divider is the river where s ome Chinese words are visible. The words on the left say, 楚河 (chǔ hé ) , mean...

As a person who's done a fair amount of traveling, I couldn't agree more with this:

Paradise Falls wouldn't even hold a candle to this place.

Waiting and Waiting

March 1st. Now every day for the next two weeks will be agonizing torture. Have I been accepted? Have I been rejected? Will my career advance? Will I be right back where I was this time last year? I've been told to be patient, keep my head up, to not worry about things that aren't in my control. That's tough going, but I'm trying. How apt, then, that I'd come across this quote again: “I wanted you to see what real courage is...It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” I thought my chances were small in the beginning, but I did see it through. Now back to waiting to see if this time is my "sometime."

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