Book 29: See You in 16 Years (十六年後在此重會)

Title: 十六年後在此重會 -- 細說神鵰俠侶
(See you in 16 years...
Analysis on The Return of the Condor Heroes)

Who wrote it: 陳墨 (Mo Chen)

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:
A chapter by chapter analysis of the famous classic:
The Return of the Condor Heroes, written by Louis Cha.

What went through my mind:
- This book is very well written,
in the sense that it contains the qualities of
both literary criticism AND leisure reading.
It flows very well from chapter to chapter,
even if readers don't have the Novel in front of them.

- I was almost brought to tears while reading,
simply coz Chen was able to pinpoint the main
characters' turning point in life, the +ve & -ve
consequences of the choices they made,
unveiling the mystery: What is love?
「問世間情為何物，直教生死相許?」

- NOSTALGIA...
Reminds me of the times when i'd stay up till 4am,
reading Cha's books in the dark under the blanket
with a heavy metal torch in my hand...
Back in 4th grade! '_'

What came out of this:
* Desire: I wanna read all of Cha's books again!
* Goal: Read the other books written by Chen : )

Why Should you read it, too?
If you've read / watched Cha's stories,
you should read this book! ; )
It'd make you fall even more in love with them!

Book 22: Black Eyeliner (黑眼線)

Title: 黑眼線 (Black Eyeliner)

Who wrote it: 李碧華 (Bi Hua Li)

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:

A Collection of essays she writes for a news column,
mostly her personal social/economical observations & reflections.

What went through my mind:

- Li's writing style is very easygoing.
It almost feels like she's making casual talks
with the readers.
- It was an easy read. I breezed through the book --

although, i much prefer Li's other books,
esp. the fiction / short stories.

- Reading this book right after Lin Xi's,
makes an interesting contrast.

Her style is not as distinct as Lin's,
but the way her words flow is also smoother,
less edgy and fewer crticisms towards everything.

Favorite Quote:
- 世上所有創作行業都是孤寂的......
創作是自己同自己角力......
本來可以蒙混過關,你不肯,偏要作對...... (Pg. 96)

[All careers that are Creativity-related,
are inevitably lonesome...

Being creative is to battle against yourself.

Originally, you could have let it go easy,
but you can't let yourself do that...]

- 父母永遠原諒不值得原諒的孩子。(Pg. 101)

[Parents will always forgive their kids,
even if they don't deserve to be forgiven.]

What came out of this:

* Bear in mind the quotes above.

Why Should you read it, too?

If you have free time : ) Why not?

Book 20: The Hong Kong that I Love (我所愛的香港)

Title: 我所愛的香港 (The Hong Kong that I Love)

Who wrote it: 林夕 (Lin Xi)

Whom I borrowed it from: Ruby

What is it about:

A collection of essays this famous HK lyricist
wrote for a column in the newspaper,

featuring political / socio-economic /
personal / reflective topics.

What went through my mind:

- No wonder he's always been my favorite lyricist...

(Actually, back in high-school, my ideal job
was to become a lyricist -- inspired by Lin Xi!)

His eloquent yet sharp linguistic skills,
clear-minded, logical ideas,
to-the-point presentations...

made reading through these essays quite enjoyable --
given the fact that normally i won't even be
interested in reading anything politics relevant.

- My favorite chapter was: 「自求多福」

His main point was, nobody else can make you learn.

You have to make up your mind that you'd go ahead
and make that sacrifice (time, effort, memory, leisure...),
so you can become more equipped for something worthwhile.
I 200% agree!!!
Well, and that's partially why i'm doing this 365 Project.

I'm not crazy. Not even trying to be over-ambitious.

I just wanna learn.

Favorite Quote:

「時間用在那裏是可以看見的」

It's obvious / easy to see where your time is spent.
(i can't figure out the most fitting translation for this. Sorry : / )

What came out of this:
* Smart Idea:
Don't buy souvenirs for anyone,
just because you are supposed to.
Nobody likes those -_-"
& you're wasting your $$/time, while risking to be called cheap.

* Reminder:
Instead of trying to catch up with the fashion trend,

why don't we donate the $$ to charity instead?

The needy can use more clothes (or other luxuries) than we do.

Why Should you read it, too?

The Chinese language is beautiful, eloquent and rich.
Lin Xi's writing is a fabulous demonstration of such truth.

Caution about this book:

Buddhism lingos/ideas permeate throughout this book.
Just thought you should know before picking it up.