I woke up far too early today for a day during my last week of break. I don't have a specific reason other than that I wanted to get things done today, which I'm achieving mostly.
For Christmas, I promised my sister I'd write her a story, but since I didn't know what she wanted me to write for her until a few days before Christmas, it wasn't done before Christmas. It's still not done. While she told me some stuff she wants in it, she didn't give me an actual plot, so I decided to wing it. But the truth is I still have no idea what the plot is even as I keep adding things hoping it will shape into a decent plot. I even have an antagonist, but I don't know where they story's going. So I'm still trying to work on that.
I'm also in the middle of drafting a new fanfiction. I think it's more than halfway done. Starting it may not have been an amazing idea when I already have three fanfictions written that need to be edited and posted. I'm glad I'm getting this one out though. One of the characters in this one is very important to me, and it's the first time I've written a fanfiction directly about him. I'm pretty happy with how it's shaping up so far.
I honestly think I'll spend most of the rest of my break working on both of those and also reading two books I just started and am absolutely loving. I mentioned several times over the course of last year that I felt it wasn't the greatest year for me as far as fiction reading goes. Luckily, I'm starting off the new year with two amazing books, and I hope that's a good sign for the rest of the year.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Monday, January 4, 2016
Book Review: The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future by Victor Cha
ISBN: 0061998516Published: July 9th, 2013 (first published April 3rd, 2012)
Publisher: Ecco
Read from December 14th to 18th, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
In The Impossible State, seasoned international-policy expert and lauded scholar Victor Cha pulls back the curtain on provocative, isolationist North Korea, providing our best look yet at its history and the rise of the Kim family dynasty and the obsessive personality cult that empowers them. Cha illuminates the repressive regime's complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime's major security issues—from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions—all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il's death and the transition of power to his unpredictable heir.
Ultimately, this engagingly written, authoritative, and highly accessible history warns of a regime that might be closer to its end than many might think—a political collapse for which America and its allies may be woefully unprepared.
Review:
While I read three books about North Korea back-to-back, this one was notably different from the other two I read. The other two books I read were focused on the personal stories of North Koreans, but this book focuses on North Korean on a broader scale. The author served in George W. Bush's White House as Director for Asian Affairs. His personal experience with North Korea while in that position is incorporated into this book as well as a wider discussion of North Korea.
The book is a great source for learning more about how North Korea operates on a more international scale instead of just within its own country. While the treatment of the North Korean people by their government is a hugely important issue and one talked about within the book, it is not the only focus within this book. I found it fascinating to learn more about how North Korea interacts with other governments and how it makes money internationally through various means, including distributing drugs to other countries that are made within North Korea.
I enjoyed learning more about so many different aspects of North Korea especially from a foreign affairs perspective. The only criticism I have of the book is that it had a tendency to get repetitive at times. There were points of the book where I felt like I was reading exactly what I had read before, and I would wonder if I had somehow wound up flipping back in the book without realizing it. That would throw me off, and I eventually took to skipping passages that I swore I had read before. I wish those sections had been trimmed down as it was unnecessary to have the same information multiple times.
Still, I would recommend this book if you're interested in learning more about North Korea. It is a good source of information and is written in a style that is easy to read when it's not repetitive.
Life Post: The Last Week of Winter Break
There's officially one week left until classes start up again. I've been looking over my schedule trying to have it memorized as best as I can before the semester starts. It's strange because it looks so bare compared to last semester. I'm only taking two fewer credit hours this semester than last, but I have a four credit hour online class this semester, which means it's not on the part of the schedule that lays out the times for each class. That's what makes it look emptier than past schedules.
I'm not entirely sure what to expect from this semester workload-wise. I don't want to underestimate the semester just because of that schedule. Since I've never taken an online class before, I'm not sure what to expect from it in terms of work. My other classes are all education classes (although one is technically a psychology class meant for education majors), and it's always hard to gauge just how much work those will be until you're in them. It can go either way.
I'm excited for this semester though. No matter how the classes turn out, it's doubtful they'll have me as busy as last semester, which included senior seminar and a very long practicum at a high school. Despite not wanting to underestimate it, I already feel like this semester will feel like a light one in comparison. If I get stressed out later on, I'm going to remind myself of what it was like last semester.
I posted my first wrap-up and TBR of the year yesterday, which wound up being far longer than I had expected it to be. I got ramble-y. You can check that out if you're interested in knowing what books I read last month and what I'm planning to read in January.
I'm not entirely sure what to expect from this semester workload-wise. I don't want to underestimate the semester just because of that schedule. Since I've never taken an online class before, I'm not sure what to expect from it in terms of work. My other classes are all education classes (although one is technically a psychology class meant for education majors), and it's always hard to gauge just how much work those will be until you're in them. It can go either way.
I'm excited for this semester though. No matter how the classes turn out, it's doubtful they'll have me as busy as last semester, which included senior seminar and a very long practicum at a high school. Despite not wanting to underestimate it, I already feel like this semester will feel like a light one in comparison. If I get stressed out later on, I'm going to remind myself of what it was like last semester.
I posted my first wrap-up and TBR of the year yesterday, which wound up being far longer than I had expected it to be. I got ramble-y. You can check that out if you're interested in knowing what books I read last month and what I'm planning to read in January.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Life Post: Update on Our Dog
Luckily, I'm not writing another post about our dog because things are worse. In fact, he's acted completely fine today. In the morning, I noticed that he was blinking a bit more than normal, but even that has gone away throughout the day. His behavior is entirely normal now. Nothing seems wrong.
It's such a relief after I was so worked up about it, and I really do feel so great today just because he's doing better. I'm still petting and cuddling him more than is typical, but it's out of relief and not out of worry or fear.
We're still not really sure what happened. He tried to go after a stray cat that was in our backyard the day he started having problems with his eyes, but my mom and sister were there and got him away from the cat. Neither one of them saw our dog and the cat actually touch each other. Plus, I noticed him acting off a day before that (I'm also wondering if that was part of what lead to him going after the cat), although no one noticed anything wrong with his eye then. And despite not being able to open his eyes, noting actually looked like it was wrong with them.
I don't think we'll ever actually know what it was that happened for sure. Not to judge a dog's reaction to pain, but a lot of his yelping the other day seemed like he was in more pain than just what an eye infection would cause. I just don't know.
At least he's feeling better now.
It's such a relief after I was so worked up about it, and I really do feel so great today just because he's doing better. I'm still petting and cuddling him more than is typical, but it's out of relief and not out of worry or fear.
We're still not really sure what happened. He tried to go after a stray cat that was in our backyard the day he started having problems with his eyes, but my mom and sister were there and got him away from the cat. Neither one of them saw our dog and the cat actually touch each other. Plus, I noticed him acting off a day before that (I'm also wondering if that was part of what lead to him going after the cat), although no one noticed anything wrong with his eye then. And despite not being able to open his eyes, noting actually looked like it was wrong with them.
I don't think we'll ever actually know what it was that happened for sure. Not to judge a dog's reaction to pain, but a lot of his yelping the other day seemed like he was in more pain than just what an eye infection would cause. I just don't know.
At least he's feeling better now.
Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
After sixteen days, seeing the movie twice, and thinking about it a lot, I'm finally writing my review of The Force Awakens. This feels so daunting. There's so much I could say, and I know I'm not going to fit it all into one post. Stuff will surely be left out. But here goes nothing.
Starting off with my general feelings about the whole movie: I loved it. Loved it. It was such a good movie. It was also an interesting experience. When I'm extremely excited about a movie, I'm far more used to it being a book adaptation. While there is a certain level of uncertainty there because you don't know how loyal they will be to the books, you still have a good sense of what will happen. Star Wars was so secretive about this movie that I couldn't know what to expect.
That feeling really hit me right as the movie started the first time I saw it. Everyone in the theater was cheering, and it all hit me at once what we were about to watch and how I didn't know how this was going to end. It was strange for me, and also really awesome. I loved having to guess what would happen next throughout the entire movie like I do when I read a really good book. Of course, that happens in good movies too, but I'm not usually at that level of excitement for those (again, unless they're a book adaptation).
Force Awakens definitely lived up to my excitement, and I can't wait to see what happens in Episode VIII (or Rogue One for that matter).
As for everything else, I'm going to try and talk about a few things but to not go overboard. I'm not ruling out the possibility of writing more posts in the future specifically focused on different aspects of the movies (or theories for the next movies) because there's so much I could say.
When it comes to characters, I would have to name BB-8 as my favorite. I want BB-8 in my life. I know I'm not alone in that. As far as my favorite of the other new characters though, I really can't decide. Rey, Finn, and Poe are all great characters. We didn't get to see much of Poe within Force Awakens, but I assume he'll have a bigger role later. I'm looking forward to that because I really enjoyed him when he was on screen. For now, I'm just going to say I really love all the new characters and not declare a favorite. Maybe I will come Episode VIII or I'll have a change of heart before the next movie. I don't know. But right now I just think they were all excellent characters.
I love both Rey and Finn's backstory and the way they developed over the course of just this one movie. It has me very excited to see where they go in the next one.
I know I can't talk about new characters without bringing up Kylo Ren. As far as villains go, I think he's an excellent one. Since I saw the movie the first time, I've been trying to figure out whether I think they'll kill him off or attempt to redeem him. (I'm just going to go ahead and assume that he's not just going to live and continue to be evil.) I'm not sure yet, but right now, I'm probably leaning toward redemption. We already learn in the movie that he still senses light within him, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had his story arc closely mirror Darth Vader's in that way. Like I said, I don't know for sure what I think will happen, but if he redeems himself somehow only to immediately die afterward, I wouldn't be surprised. (This might be one of the things I write a post on later.)
Of course, it was also amazing to see the old characters again. I think they played just the right role in the story. They didn't overtake it, but we got to see them and learn about what has happened to them since the last trilogy. It was fun to be in the screening opening day and hear the audience get excited when we first see the Millennium Falcon again and everything else. The decision to place Luke only at the end of the film (and R2-D2 for that matter) was a good one as it kept the focus on the new characters (not that BB-8 could be overshadowed by R2-D2. Come to think of it, I have my fingers crossed for more interaction between those two in the future.), but I'm also excited to see the role he plays in Episode VIII.
Han's death is another part of the story that I can't not mention. As much as I hate character deaths, I don't know if a character dying has ever felt so right for the story to me. (For the good guys that is. Villain deaths are another story. I can't imagine Harry Potter is Voldemort had survived the last book.) I know there was speculation about him dying beforehand, and either that or just the tone of the scene, let me know it was going to happen before it did. It was a sad moment, but I think because I had it on my mind as a possibility and because I thought it was a good decision, I'm not upset about it like I might have been otherwise.
The last thing I think I'll bring up in this review is the speculation about who Rey's parents are. Going into the movie, my best guess was that her parents would be Han and Leia. For a while in the movie, I was trying to work out if that was right. From the first hint about Kylo Ren's parentage though, I was certain his parents were Han and Leia, and to me, that made it less likely that they were Rey's parents. When Rey first discovers Luke's lightsaber, I became pretty confident that Luke was her father, and the end of the movie only made me more sure.
To me, that's the theory that makes the most sense, although I do see the reasoning behind some of the other theories. While I think Luke is the best guess, I can't decide who I would want to be Rey's parents the most if I had the opportunity to make the decision. Obviously, I'm just going to have to wait and see what happens to find out what I think about it in the end.
That's all I'm going to say in this review. It's long enough now, but like I said, don't be surprised if I write more posts in the future. I'm already thinking about writing something up on what I think will happen to Kylo Ren, what I think about Rey's parentage, and several other things, although I'm not sure I could say anything that hasn't already been said by countless people. We'll see. This is definitely a movie that I don't want to stop talking about.
Starting off with my general feelings about the whole movie: I loved it. Loved it. It was such a good movie. It was also an interesting experience. When I'm extremely excited about a movie, I'm far more used to it being a book adaptation. While there is a certain level of uncertainty there because you don't know how loyal they will be to the books, you still have a good sense of what will happen. Star Wars was so secretive about this movie that I couldn't know what to expect.
That feeling really hit me right as the movie started the first time I saw it. Everyone in the theater was cheering, and it all hit me at once what we were about to watch and how I didn't know how this was going to end. It was strange for me, and also really awesome. I loved having to guess what would happen next throughout the entire movie like I do when I read a really good book. Of course, that happens in good movies too, but I'm not usually at that level of excitement for those (again, unless they're a book adaptation).
Force Awakens definitely lived up to my excitement, and I can't wait to see what happens in Episode VIII (or Rogue One for that matter).
As for everything else, I'm going to try and talk about a few things but to not go overboard. I'm not ruling out the possibility of writing more posts in the future specifically focused on different aspects of the movies (or theories for the next movies) because there's so much I could say.
When it comes to characters, I would have to name BB-8 as my favorite. I want BB-8 in my life. I know I'm not alone in that. As far as my favorite of the other new characters though, I really can't decide. Rey, Finn, and Poe are all great characters. We didn't get to see much of Poe within Force Awakens, but I assume he'll have a bigger role later. I'm looking forward to that because I really enjoyed him when he was on screen. For now, I'm just going to say I really love all the new characters and not declare a favorite. Maybe I will come Episode VIII or I'll have a change of heart before the next movie. I don't know. But right now I just think they were all excellent characters.
I love both Rey and Finn's backstory and the way they developed over the course of just this one movie. It has me very excited to see where they go in the next one.
I know I can't talk about new characters without bringing up Kylo Ren. As far as villains go, I think he's an excellent one. Since I saw the movie the first time, I've been trying to figure out whether I think they'll kill him off or attempt to redeem him. (I'm just going to go ahead and assume that he's not just going to live and continue to be evil.) I'm not sure yet, but right now, I'm probably leaning toward redemption. We already learn in the movie that he still senses light within him, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had his story arc closely mirror Darth Vader's in that way. Like I said, I don't know for sure what I think will happen, but if he redeems himself somehow only to immediately die afterward, I wouldn't be surprised. (This might be one of the things I write a post on later.)
Of course, it was also amazing to see the old characters again. I think they played just the right role in the story. They didn't overtake it, but we got to see them and learn about what has happened to them since the last trilogy. It was fun to be in the screening opening day and hear the audience get excited when we first see the Millennium Falcon again and everything else. The decision to place Luke only at the end of the film (and R2-D2 for that matter) was a good one as it kept the focus on the new characters (not that BB-8 could be overshadowed by R2-D2. Come to think of it, I have my fingers crossed for more interaction between those two in the future.), but I'm also excited to see the role he plays in Episode VIII.
Han's death is another part of the story that I can't not mention. As much as I hate character deaths, I don't know if a character dying has ever felt so right for the story to me. (For the good guys that is. Villain deaths are another story. I can't imagine Harry Potter is Voldemort had survived the last book.) I know there was speculation about him dying beforehand, and either that or just the tone of the scene, let me know it was going to happen before it did. It was a sad moment, but I think because I had it on my mind as a possibility and because I thought it was a good decision, I'm not upset about it like I might have been otherwise.
The last thing I think I'll bring up in this review is the speculation about who Rey's parents are. Going into the movie, my best guess was that her parents would be Han and Leia. For a while in the movie, I was trying to work out if that was right. From the first hint about Kylo Ren's parentage though, I was certain his parents were Han and Leia, and to me, that made it less likely that they were Rey's parents. When Rey first discovers Luke's lightsaber, I became pretty confident that Luke was her father, and the end of the movie only made me more sure.
To me, that's the theory that makes the most sense, although I do see the reasoning behind some of the other theories. While I think Luke is the best guess, I can't decide who I would want to be Rey's parents the most if I had the opportunity to make the decision. Obviously, I'm just going to have to wait and see what happens to find out what I think about it in the end.
That's all I'm going to say in this review. It's long enough now, but like I said, don't be surprised if I write more posts in the future. I'm already thinking about writing something up on what I think will happen to Kylo Ren, what I think about Rey's parentage, and several other things, although I'm not sure I could say anything that hasn't already been said by countless people. We'll see. This is definitely a movie that I don't want to stop talking about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)