I know I'm a hard-core romantic. It's very sad.
I want a fairy-tale life, even though I know that will never happen. I know that I will most likely grow up, and have a 9-5 job in a medical field that will give me a stable income to live by.
What I want is a life on homestead-farm, wearing dresses while picking apples apples and planting tomatoes, watering roses, and in the evenings retiring to read the Qu'ran or Where Angels Fear to Tread. I would have a lovely, fit, husband with a well paying job, that loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life raising a family with me. Not to mention, he helps with household chores.
That's very unlikely, I realize that. I'm crazy and if I don't sober-up soon, I'm very likely not going to have anything in life. Reality is not a Jane Austen novel, no matter how much one tries to make it.
My parents are getting divorced. My dad is staying here on the weekends, until he gets stationed in his new, better paying job, and my mom has bought a townhouse for her, I, and, hopefully by this summer, my grandmother to live in. The relationship broke years ago. I will survive it, perhaps forget it in ten years time, my mother and grandmother will survive it, I'm not so sure about my dad, but he will have to live through it too.
That's reality.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
Forget Jane Austen's Elizabeth, Tess Durbeyfield is a proper herione, granted a tragic one.
This review is basically a summary of the book, and includes spoilers and mild sarcasm, just to let you know. What I liked about Tess is that she was very active and made decisions, even though her decisions were often not the best ones. Also, the only two men she got to know were scum.
Review starts here:
I loved this book. First thing, Thomas Hardy knows how to write. If no one else in the world knows how to write Thomas Hardy does.
Tess is one heroine you can feel sorry for. She is young, innocent, pure, naive, and apparently everyone can see it. Her father hangs on to his pride above all else and is convinced that he is a D'Uberville instead of a Durbeyfield, while her mother mistakes how naive she really is while sending her to "claim kin" where she me meets Alec D'Uberville who rapes her. She has his baby that dies soon after birth.
She goes away to become a milkmaid and meets the well-off Angel Clare who falls in love with her "purity", asks her to marry him when she says that she is not right for him, and keeps asking until she says yes. When her mother hears of the marriage she warns Tess not to tell Angel about the rape and baby, but Tess has so much faith in Angel that on their wedding night she tells him everything after he reveals his darkest secret. She forgives him, he says that she is now no longer the woman he fell in love with, and abandons her for over a year.
During that time she goes back to her parents to find that they are sick. Her dad dies and they are about to be evicted from their house. Tess meets Alec again, who is now a preacher, but he abandons his faith after meeting Tess again because she has tempted him like the Whore of Babylon. He says that he regrets the suffering he caused her and offers to give Tess and her family economic help. Tess tries to refuse and hold out for her "husband" but seeing no other option accepts his help and becomes his mistress.
Angel, who was on a soul searching trip in Brazil, decides that he has a conscious and comes looking for Tess. He finds her with Alec and begs her to come back to him. She says no, and tells him to go away. Then she is so distraught that she kills Alec for making fun of her marriage with Angel, goes back to Angel and gets arrested for Alec's murder at Stonehenge. She is convicted and sentenced to death.
All in all, pretty depressing towards the end.
This review is basically a summary of the book, and includes spoilers and mild sarcasm, just to let you know. What I liked about Tess is that she was very active and made decisions, even though her decisions were often not the best ones. Also, the only two men she got to know were scum.
Review starts here:
Tess is one heroine you can feel sorry for. She is young, innocent, pure, naive, and apparently everyone can see it. Her father hangs on to his pride above all else and is convinced that he is a D'Uberville instead of a Durbeyfield, while her mother mistakes how naive she really is while sending her to "claim kin" where she me meets Alec D'Uberville who rapes her. She has his baby that dies soon after birth.
She goes away to become a milkmaid and meets the well-off Angel Clare who falls in love with her "purity", asks her to marry him when she says that she is not right for him, and keeps asking until she says yes. When her mother hears of the marriage she warns Tess not to tell Angel about the rape and baby, but Tess has so much faith in Angel that on their wedding night she tells him everything after he reveals his darkest secret. She forgives him, he says that she is now no longer the woman he fell in love with, and abandons her for over a year.
During that time she goes back to her parents to find that they are sick. Her dad dies and they are about to be evicted from their house. Tess meets Alec again, who is now a preacher, but he abandons his faith after meeting Tess again because she has tempted him like the Whore of Babylon. He says that he regrets the suffering he caused her and offers to give Tess and her family economic help. Tess tries to refuse and hold out for her "husband" but seeing no other option accepts his help and becomes his mistress.
Angel, who was on a soul searching trip in Brazil, decides that he has a conscious and comes looking for Tess. He finds her with Alec and begs her to come back to him. She says no, and tells him to go away. Then she is so distraught that she kills Alec for making fun of her marriage with Angel, goes back to Angel and gets arrested for Alec's murder at Stonehenge. She is convicted and sentenced to death.
All in all, pretty depressing towards the end.
Monday, September 6, 2010
This Is Why I Don't Like Jane Austen
I've recently finished reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and I find myself filled with the same frustration I usually am after reading a Jane Austen romance. It's all the same: pretty girl finds guy who likes her. pretty girl marries that guy. story ends.
Funny that she never goes into describing their marriage. To be fair, I've only read three of her novels, Emma, Persuasion, and now, Northanger Abbey. I've found them equally useless, although I'll admit some more respect for Persuasion since the main character had actual obstacles, flaws, and actual characterization. I don't get how some women worship her and encourage their daughters to read her books as an example of romance and "courtship". As far as I see you might wanna you know, get to know your guy for over a year before tying the knot, making sure that he knows you so you can communicate in marriage, etc.
Here's the passage that got to me:
"The advantages of a beautiful girl have been already set forth by the capital pen of a sister author;-- and to her treatment of the subject I will only add injustice to men, that though to the larger and more trifling part of the sex, imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms, there is a portion of them too reasonable and too well-informed themselves to desire any thing more in woman than ignorance. But Catherine did not know her own advantages--did not know that a good-looking girl, with an affectionate heart and a very ignorant mind, cannot fail of attracting a clever young man, unless circumstances are particularly untoward." (pg 118 on nook barnes and noble classics edition)
This makes me angry. It's more jealousy than anything else. In some points, this is true, don't most girls mourn the fact that all the good guys are dating idiotic, giggling, sluts who wear too much makeup and too little clothing? I'll confess that I have been guilty at one time or the other at trying to woo a guy by smiling and pretending I don't know anything but from what I noticed I put him off more than attracted him (good for him). Maybe that just says something on my ineptitude at flirting?
Funny that she never goes into describing their marriage. To be fair, I've only read three of her novels, Emma, Persuasion, and now, Northanger Abbey. I've found them equally useless, although I'll admit some more respect for Persuasion since the main character had actual obstacles, flaws, and actual characterization. I don't get how some women worship her and encourage their daughters to read her books as an example of romance and "courtship". As far as I see you might wanna you know, get to know your guy for over a year before tying the knot, making sure that he knows you so you can communicate in marriage, etc.
Here's the passage that got to me:
"The advantages of a beautiful girl have been already set forth by the capital pen of a sister author;-- and to her treatment of the subject I will only add injustice to men, that though to the larger and more trifling part of the sex, imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms, there is a portion of them too reasonable and too well-informed themselves to desire any thing more in woman than ignorance. But Catherine did not know her own advantages--did not know that a good-looking girl, with an affectionate heart and a very ignorant mind, cannot fail of attracting a clever young man, unless circumstances are particularly untoward." (pg 118 on nook barnes and noble classics edition)
This makes me angry. It's more jealousy than anything else. In some points, this is true, don't most girls mourn the fact that all the good guys are dating idiotic, giggling, sluts who wear too much makeup and too little clothing? I'll confess that I have been guilty at one time or the other at trying to woo a guy by smiling and pretending I don't know anything but from what I noticed I put him off more than attracted him (good for him). Maybe that just says something on my ineptitude at flirting?
Sunday, September 5, 2010
New Piano!
To be honest, this happened about a month ago, but I've been really lazy about taking the photos. Sorry!
I've been playing piano for eight years, but my family has never got around to actually buying a piano until now and it's definitely worth the wait. It's a refurbished 1970s Baldwin upright that produces the same sound as a baby grand. My piano teacher recommended a lady to us who used to own a piano store but is now retired and she had just one piano left that she couldn't manage to find a buyer for. It was in excellent condition and for a really good price, $2000 unlike the regular $7000 that we would find elsewhere. She also arranged for the piano mover and the tuner, who was a really nice guy. I'm really happy because now I can play whenever I want on a real piano without asking my mom to drive me to a friend's house or asking my teacher if I can stay a bit longer on her piano.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Goals for the Coming School Year
Well, it's almost that time of year again :-)
I'm entering my second year of high school. I have no problems with it and I'm expecting it to be more comfortable than last year First semester freshman year coming from a choice school was not fun. I did pretty well excluding geometry, an incompitent music teacher, and an astronomy teacher that I did not understand, but I regret not puting in my full effort in his class now. My primary objective this year is to get straight As and exceed in all my classes. I'm in all honors except for Phy ed (a useless waste of time if you ask me) and possibly Human Anatomy. I did pretty well last year in except for geometry where I got straight Bs.
My goals for the coming year that lead to my primary objective are to:
1. Use my time more efficiently. Do homework right after school and procrastinate on the internet and listening to music less often.
2. Be in bed around 10-11 and for certain before midnight. I hope this will help me wake up more easily and not sleep through my alarm. lol.
3. Continue helping my mother around the house as much as I have been doing over the summer.
4. Read more books and less fanfiction and manga. I really hate what fanfiction has been doing to my psyche, it's like going to a crude bar with bad food, drink, and company.
Happy school year to everyone else out in internet-land.
I'm entering my second year of high school. I have no problems with it and I'm expecting it to be more comfortable than last year First semester freshman year coming from a choice school was not fun. I did pretty well excluding geometry, an incompitent music teacher, and an astronomy teacher that I did not understand, but I regret not puting in my full effort in his class now. My primary objective this year is to get straight As and exceed in all my classes. I'm in all honors except for Phy ed (a useless waste of time if you ask me) and possibly Human Anatomy. I did pretty well last year in except for geometry where I got straight Bs.
My goals for the coming year that lead to my primary objective are to:
1. Use my time more efficiently. Do homework right after school and procrastinate on the internet and listening to music less often.
2. Be in bed around 10-11 and for certain before midnight. I hope this will help me wake up more easily and not sleep through my alarm. lol.
3. Continue helping my mother around the house as much as I have been doing over the summer.
4. Read more books and less fanfiction and manga. I really hate what fanfiction has been doing to my psyche, it's like going to a crude bar with bad food, drink, and company.
Happy school year to everyone else out in internet-land.
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