Wide Reading (n.) โthe practice of reading a variety of texts across mediums with a long-term aim of developing an interest in reading and/or encouraging curiosity in the diverse perspectives expressed in the works of a wide range of authors. *
Introduced to me through the high school English curriculum, wide reading was a program designed to expose students to a wide variety of texts with diverse features and forms - cross-genre, language, and mode. There would be a set reading list with recommended and optional reading and a question to answer or reflect on per text - so that you'd actually (hopefully) engage!
In university, you'd transition to academic reading mostly only related to your field of study, but increasingly - you are accountable for sourcing your own reading list. This account is a personal documentation of my reading archives - I consume alot of media but frequently forget what I've read! For non-fiction text types, I'll usually document my key takeaways, but I'll try and keep it high-level for fiction to avoid spoilers where possible.
Thanks for visiting and I hope my posts inspire you to be curious about a new text, or engage with the world (whether fictional or real) through the perspective of someone different to yourself.
*this is my personal definition - you might have a different take!
Happy new year! Hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable start. โฃ โฃย
Decision to Leave is directed by Park Chan-wook (other titles include the Handmaiden) and is a South-Korean film. I watched it on Netflix recently when I was in Korea (approx 139 mins running time). โฃ โฃย
The film depicts the interactions between a detective and his murder suspect (Tang Wei). The cinematography is beautiful and I love how much was expressed in a scene without saying much (dialogue wise). The translation piece for this work was also interesting and I love how the translator adapted the Chinese language for Korean and international audiences. โฃ โฃย
I've been waiting for it to be available for streaming on Mubi but it doesn't seem to be available just yet!
This book took me months to finish as I would read it before bedtime and something about reading sentences on the topic of sleep just quickly propels you into deep sleep! โฃ โฃ
โWhy we sleepโ is a wake-up call to the importance of sleep to our health, societyโs โapathy toward sleepโ and attitudes which the author claims is partly โcaused by the historic failure of science to explain why we need itโ. โฃ โฃ
While (and this may be a spoiler) the book doesnโt actually provide a reason as to *why* sleep is biologically required, it is a highly satisfying and insightful read as to the importance of it (and therefore why you should get adequate and good sleep). Some of my personal key takeaways are extracted below: โฃ โฃ
[๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ง ๐ซ๐ก๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ฆ] - references plants that have an โendogenousโ or self-generated rhythm. Daylight isnโt the only signal that the brain can latch... and whilst light is the... primary zeitgeber, there are many factors that can be used in addition to, or in the absence of, daylight (pg. 18). โฃ โฃ
[๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒโ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฌ] - society is strongly biased towards early start times that punish owls and favour larks (e.g. standard employment schedules). This leads to owls being more chronically sleep-deprived... and often forced to burn the proverbial candle at both ends. Greater ill health caused by a lack of sleep therefore befalls owls (pg. 21). โฃ โฃ
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[๐๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ง ๐ซ๐ก๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ฆ - ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐] - for every day you are in a different time zone, your suprachiasmatic nucleus can only readjust by one hour (pg 25). Adenosine is a chemical barometer that continuously register the amount of elapsed time since you woke up this morning... wou can artificially mute the sleep signal of adenosine by using a chemical that makes you feel more alert and awake through caffeine (pg 27). โฃ โฃ
[๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐] - levels of circulating caffeine peak approx. 30 minutes after oral administration. What is problematic though, is the persistence of caffeine in your system. Caffeine has an average 1/2 life of about 5-7 hours. E.g. if you have coffee after your evening dinner, around 7.30pm - this means that by 1.30am, 50% of that caffeine may still be active and circulating around your brain tissue. So at 1.30am, youโre only halfway to completing the job of cleansing your brain of the caffeine you drank after dinner (pg. 28)โฃ โฃ
[๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ] - During REM sleep, the memories were being replayed far more slowly: at just half or quarter the speed that measured when the rats were awake and learning the maze. This slow neural recounting of the dayโs events is the best evidence we have to date explaining our own protracted experience of time in human REM sleep. This dramatic deceleration of neural time may be the reason we believe our dream life lasts far longer than our alarm clocks otherwise assert. (page 41). Dreams, as most of us think of them - those hallucinogenic, motoric, emotional and bizarre experiences with a rich narrative - come from REM sleep, and many sleep researchers limit (page 193)โฃ โฃ
[๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ข๐๐ง๐] - the problem is that some people confuse time slept with sleep opportunity time. we know that many individuals in the modern world only give themselves 5-6.5 hours of sleep opportunity, which normally means they only obtain around 4.5-6hrs of actual sleep. (page 261). The artificial light that bathes our modern indoor worlds....halts the forward progress of biological time that is normally signalled by the evening surge in melatonin (page 267)
ย Tigertail is available on Netflix and is a short film (approx 1.5hrs running time). It depicts the main character's search for an improved economic situation in America at the expense of childhood dreams and loved ones.โฃ โฃย
I appreciated the cinematography in some scenes and but I feel like many ideas were not fully explored throughout the film - e.g. family conflict, the character's rationale/thought process, final reflections whilst in America? I would still recommend watching, but it does feel a bit unresolved/superficial in some parts of the film! If you've watched it, what were your thoughts? โฃ โฃย
Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you are all safe, healthy and generally happy โฃโบ
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค by Mary HK Choi | Fiction (385 pages) โฃ
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โ โ โ : <family, slice of life, sisters, mental health, illness> โฃ
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This novel was probably my first foray into contemporary (young-adult) fiction written by an Asian female voice. I was initially intrigued by the cover design, and the 4.1/5 rating on Goodreads, but think this was slightly overhyped in my opinion!โฃ
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There are bouts of excellent writing in the book, and I occasionally loved the way that the author described thoughts, emotions and scenery. It was also refreshing to read a book with contemporary references - e.g. to certain brands, slang and her descriptions of the young professional working world.ย โฃ
However I didn't personally relate to the characters and sometimes found it illogical or difficult to comprehend their thoughts/actions, indirectly disrupting the flow of the storyline.โฃ
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The relationships between the characters, (mainly the sibling duo) also didn't comes across as fully developed in places, and undermined their authenticity. โฃ
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Despite this, I think this novel could provide comfort to some readers, and resonate particularly with the young-adult audience. I'd be keen to read her other works, particularly ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ญ! โฃ
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๐๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ'๐ท๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ค๐ต, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ?
๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ (2018) is a South Korean film adapted from the short story '๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ' by Haruki Murakami. โฃย
Personally I'd recommend reading Murakami's short story first - it's been reproduced with permission on a number of sites online, and also included as part of ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด short story collection in print.โฃ โฃย
At first, Murakami's short story seems like a straightforward mystery-thriller: a nameless narrator becomes acquainted with a twenty-year old female, who later meets a wealthy man in a trip to Algeria. The lives of the three characters collide, and the narrator becomes intrigued by the man's strange hobby of burning down barns.โฃ โฃย
Like other works by Murakami, words are selected meaningfully so that when you read between the lines, a different perspective of the story and the characters emerge. Even when you think you might have grasped the story, you're left with lingering questions about the reality of the events - foreshadowed at the beginning by the female friend's mime performance of Tangerine Peeling:
ย "This? It's easy. It [miming] has nothing to do with talent. What you do isn't to make yourself believe that there are tangerines there. You just forget that the tangerines are ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต there. That's all."โฃ โฃย
In written form, the story for me was highly engaging and probably a 4.5/5 for me. The film adaptation however was probably a 3/5 overall, as it is more explicitly drawn out - e.g. when the man speaks about his hobby, he says 'its a crime so to speak' - 'its explicitly a crime' (as compared to the short story, which is more subtle). โฃ โฃย
Murakami's stories are difficult to adapt as a film though, as they tend to have a large emphasis on the mundane aspects of everyday life, so the plot moves slowly and relies on creative direction to replicate the atmosphere in his stories. Would still recommend watching the film though - but perhaps after reading the short story! โฃ โฃย
If you've read the short story or watched the film, what were your thoughts?
๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฌ by Malcolm Gladwell | Non-Fiction (335 pages)โฃ
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โ โ โ โ โฃโฃโฃ: ย recommended reading <success, opportunity, careers> โฃ
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It's surprising that (in at least the edition that I purchased) the book was published in 2008 but only reached a wider readership in recent years. This book was another read that I enjoyed and overall recommend, if only for some of the key insights that were scattered across the chapters. โฃ
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Outliers is a non-fiction book about success at the peak of individuals in society (the outliers that Gladwell defines as 'markedly different in value'), told through various industries as examples.โฃ
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Some of my key takeaways (quotes aren't verbatim):โฃ
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1. ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ '๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐'(p. 33) [case studies told through hockey players and birthdays]. A reflection on how one's success isn't solely derived as a function of individual merit, but cumulative opportunity (p. 213).โฃ
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2. ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ - e.g. once a musician enters a top music school - and is provided with level opportunities to sustain their skills - what distinguishes one performer from another is how hard they work (p. 43).ย โฃ
3. ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ - but before [one] could become an expert - someone had to give him the opportunity to learn how to be an expert (p. 52). โฃ
4. ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค, ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ - we pretend that success is exclusively a function of an individual's merit - but neglect that the outcomes are often a product of society's framework (p. 75). [I don't include this quote to discredit individual achievement but it is apt to acknowledge / emphasise that, without exception, the outcomes of every individual aren't exclusively because of hard work, talent or skills. Consider: class and cultural advantages].โฃ
5. ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ด: X is better off than Y - because X is wealthier and goes to a better school, but also, that a sense of entitlement that X has been taught is an attitude perfectly suited to succeeding in the modern world (p. 124). โฃ
6. ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ : it's not that they were smarter [lawyers] than anyone else - they had a skill that they had been working on for years that had suddenly become very valuable (p. 148) [Something I like to think of as an epsilon factor (ฯต)]. โฃ
7. ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ - once someone has a reached an IQ of ~120, having additional IQ points doesn't seem to translate into any real-world advantage (p. 88). โฃ
8. ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ - p.174 - on meaningful careers; e.g. choosing between being an architect for $75k, or working in a tollbooth for $100k. The author presumes we'd choose the former because there is: complexity, autonomy and a relationship between effort and reward in doing creative work, which is more worthwhile to us than the extra $25k. [On reflection I'd also add to this quote that success is only valuable if you can derive happiness from the outcome].
This book is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of post-modern literary technique. You only have to open the contents page to get a sense of the level of experimentation at play - each chapter forms part of a sentence: โฃ โฃย
1. If on a winter's night a travellerโฃย
2. Outside the town of Malbork โฃย
3. Leaning from the steep slope โฃ โฃย
. . . โฃ โฃย
To cumulatively read: 'If on a winter's night a traveller outside the town of Malbork, learning from the steep slope without fear of wind or vertigo, looks down in the gathering shadow, in a network of lines that enlace, in a network of lines that intersect, on the carpet of leaves illuminated by the moon, around an empty grave, what story down there awaits its end?' โฃ โฃย
The first chapter takes no hesitation in breaking down the fourth wall, and Calvino talks directly to the reader as he describes Books You Haven't Read, Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered, Books You Can Borrow From Somebody, etc. . โฃ โฃย
It's overall quite the reading adventure and would highly recommend reading if you haven't already - or if it's on your shelf of ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ด ๐๐ฐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐๐ด ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ (lol).
This book was a tastebreaker for me in the non-fiction genre and I would highly recommend Harari's work (although Sapiens is the most well written imo). Sapiens canvasses the evolution of mankind from the beginning of time to c. 2019 (republished edition) through three revolutions: Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific. Along the way, the author weaves science and humanist (a philosophy focus on human values and freedoms) insights that are accessible and relatable to everyone (there is no assumed knowledge). โฃ โฃ
The content isn't really ground-breaking, but I think what distinguishes this book is that most concepts have been written well - almost in a poetic way - and makes you view the history of civilisation from a fresh perspective. Even though I personally think the book drops off in quality and cohesiveness around the middle of the book, it picks back up towards the end and was definitely an insightful read overall.โฃ โฃ
Some of my key takeaways (quotes aren't verbatim):โฃ โฃ
1. ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐จ-๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: the ability to create an imagined reality from words enabled large numbers of strangers to co-operate effectively (p. 36) and for co-operation of large groups, only a sophisticated religious or ideological system could sustain such efforts (p. 101). This extends to modern trade agreements, political structures and legal institutions which result from human's cognitive capacity to create fiction. P. 207 - Harari analogises money as a trust system - that bridges discrimination and cultural gaps - and 1) allows people to co-operate effectively, 2) create trust in the future (e.g. financial credit), which is based on an assumption that future resources are more abundant than present resources (p. 344). He observes that most human co-operation networks have been geared towards exploitation and oppression over time (p. 116). โฃ โฃ
2. ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ: modern society operates through an imagined order that exists only in our minds, but is woven in the material reality around us (p. 127). This imagined order shapes our desires (i.e. your thoughts, ambitions and desires may be '๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด' but they are certainly shaped by romantic, nationalist, capitalist and humanist myths that have been around for centuries). Harari gives the example of a common desire for individuals to travel overseas for a holiday, and notes that this isn't something that is necessarily biological, but the product of an individual who subscribes to romantic consumerism. [On a side note, I found out in a work trivia that Santa was originally green but changed to red as a result of Coca-Cola advertising...]. These imagined orders are inter-subjective, so in order to change them, we must simultaneously change the consciousness of billions of people, which is not easy (p. 135). A conscious effort has to be made to sustain laws, customs, procedures and manners, otherwise social order would quickly collapse. โฃ โฃ
<A. ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐จ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ญ> The domestication of animals was founded on a series of brutal practices that only became crueller with the passing of the centuries (p. 105), and the agricultural revolution was the turning point when Sapiens cast off its intimate symbiosis with nature and sprinted towards greed and alienation (p. 110). โฃ โฃ
<B. ๐๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ> In the post-industrial environment (with its mega-cities, aeroplanes, telephones and computers, c/f hunter-gatherer lifestyles), we have more material resources and longer lives than previous generations, but it often makes us feel alienated, depressed and pressured (p. 45). There has also been a collapse of the nuclear family unit and the community, with the rise of individualism. With individuals wielding unprecedented powers to decide their own path in life, we find it harder to make commitments and therefore live an increasingly lonely world of unravelling communities and families (p. 428). ย Overall, it seems that humanity's search for an easier life released immense forces of change that transformed the world in ways nobody envisioned or wanted (p. 99) - that we have created convenience and yet live more stressed lives. โฃ โฃ
<C. ๐๐ช๐ด๐ค> You need to know alot about your own tiny field of expertise, but for the vast majority of life's necessities you rely blindly on the help of other experts, whose own knowledge is also limited to a tiny field of expertise (p. 55). Identical twins raised in opposing socio-economic backgrounds (poor vs wealthy), with the same abilities would not have had the same chance in developing personal wealth. The economic game was rigged by legal restrictions and unofficial glass ceilings (p. 154).
This exhibition was held in 2018 by the White Rabbit Gallery in Sydney, Australia, but many of the the works featured by the artists can also be found online (last photo in the carousel is by artist Chen Wei). See also media archives on Propviz for a virtual exhibit: [https://propviz.com.au/white-rabbit-gallery-supernatural-virtual-art-gallery-tour/].โฃย
๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ showcases a world depicted by artists in the near distant future. Uncanny events are signalled by hybrid insect-winged citizens that fly overhead in dystopian, neon-lit cities. Once harmonious landscapes, the natural environment is littered with plastic, and the skies above 'too often choked with toxic fog and haze'.โฃ โฃ Works are varied in form but communicate a shared intention, inviting visitors to experience a wake-up call to our human footprint. โฃย โฃ
[Wording heavily extracted and reproduced from the exhibit description].
I first watched this film in 2013 and recently gave it another viewing during covid lockdowns. It surprises me that it was produced in 1968 because Kubrick's cinematography is ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ so visually pleasing. ย While I would preface this film by saying it's not for everyone, I'd recommend it as a taste-breaker. โฃ โฃย
The film is quite long (almost 3 hrs running time) and has minimal plot developments and dialogue. The overall film experience can feel strange/unsettling sometimes, and I attribute this to 1) multiple subversions of what might be 'typical' film conventions, 2) build-up of musical climaxes matched with inactivity, 3) cinematography that still manages to convey a realistic sense of a science fiction world. โฃ โฃย
Even after a second viewing, I think the film leaves many unanswered questions and a bit of a feeling of 'what did I just watch'? But despite all its disorienting scenes, absurdist elements and layers of symbolism, what I enjoyed most was probably the film's explorations into the infinitude of space. On an uninterrupted viewing of the film, you become increasingly cognisant of the contrast between 1) the miniscule nature of humanity and 2) the significant cosmic relativity that overarches us which is... fascinating, but equally terrifying. โฃ โฃย
This film is followed by a sequel ๐๐๐๐: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ช๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ญ (1984) directed by Peter Hyams.
๐ช๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ (n.) โ the practice of reading a variety of texts across mediums with a long-term aim of developing an interest in reading and/or encouraging curiosity in the diverse perspectives expressed in the works of a wide range of authors. *โฃ
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Introduced to me through the high school English curriculum, wide reading was a program designed to expose students to a wide variety of texts with diverse features and forms - cross-genre, language, and mode. There would be a set reading list with recommended and optional reading and a question to answer or reflect on per text - so that you'd actually (hopefully) engage! โฃ
In university, you'd transition to academic reading mostly only related to your field of study, but increasingly - ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ are accountable for sourcing your own reading list. โฃ
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This account is a personal documentation of my reading archives - I consume alot of media but frequently forget what I've read! For non-fiction text types, I'll usually document my key takeaways, but I'll try and keep it high-level for fiction to avoid spoilers where possible. โฃ
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Thanks for visiting and I hope my posts inspire you to be curious about a new text, or engage with the world (whether fictional or real) through the perspective of someone different to yourself. โฃ
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*๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ - ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฎ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ! โฃ
