Month: April 2024

For my next IRJE, I am writing about a quotation from Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (the novel on which the film is based). The paleontologists Dr. Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler have been flown out to a Costa Rican island called Isla Nublar, where huge developments in genetics have allowed a private company to create a park with herds of genetically reconstructed dinosaurs. The quotation takes place as the two of them, a guide, and other experts pass the park’s swimming pool and Ellie notices that the huge, previously extinct ferns planted decoratively next to it are actually very poisonous – enough so that they could make anyone who touched them sick. Ellie muses about how “people” view plants:

“People were so naive about plants, Ellie thought. They just chose plants for appearance, as they would choose a picture for the wall. It never occurred to them that plants were actually living things, busily performing all the living functions of respiration, ingestion, excretion, reproduction – and defense. […]

“People who imagined that life on earth consisted of animals moving against a green background seriously misunderstood what they were seeing. That green background was busily alive. Plants grew, moved, twisted, and turned, fighting for the sun; and they interacted continuously with animals – discouraging some with bark and thorns; poisoning others; and feeding still others to advance their own reproduction, to spread their pollen and seeds. It was a complex, dynamic process […] which she knew most people didn’t understand” (pp. 85-86).

I chose this quotation because I liked how it not only made me think about how we may ignore plants in our daily lives, but also foreshadows the general irresponsibility of the park creators. While knowing that plants are alive, they are still used so often as decorations that it can be easy to forget that houseplants have their own cycles and “motivations” – to find more sunlight or create flowers to grow their species. Ellie states how the planting of deadly ferns at a pool where any visitors could encounter them demonstrates how the park creators see the plants as just decorations. Despite how ancient the fern is, the developers planted it without regard to how it might fit into today’s world and the defenses it may use. This foreshadows the rest of the book, where (spoiler!) dinosaurs escape their pens and wreak havoc on the humans who they don’t know how to react to.  This violence by the ancient life against humans is a theme of the book, showing how the money-driven park operators neglect to think about the fact that their assorted displays are not museum exhibits but living creatures unaccustomed to today’s world.

In Black Boy, by Richard Wright, Richard the protagonist, moves with his uncle Clark in Greenwood, USA. After his mother has a heart attack. There on his first day in the new school, on the school grounds at noon recess, a group of boys came to him and talked to him.

“‘Where you from?’

‘Jackson’ I answered.

‘How come they make you people so ugly in Jackson?’ he demanded.

There was loud laughter.

‘You’re not any too good-looking yourself,’ I countered instantly. 

‘Oh!’

‘Aw!’

‘You hear what he told ‘im?’

‘You think you’re smart, don’t you?’ The boy asked, sneering.

‘Listen, I ain’t picking a fight,’ I said.  ‘But if you want to fight, I’ll fight.’

…”

 (p.91, l.3)

I like this scene because, of how realistic it sounds, this adds the scene more realism, because it’s really sound like a real conservation before a fight.

As I reflect further on The Stranger, by Albert Camus, I continue to appreciate the little details in the writing which display the leading character’s apathetic attitude towards society as he refuses to entertain the societal standards and expectations of the people surrounding him. Within the novel, the leading character Mersault can be characterized by his lack of emotional attachment and overall indifference towards humane experiences as seen in the following conversation between him and his love interest Marie.

“She was wearing a pair of my pajamas with the sleeves rolled up. When she laughed I wanted her again. A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean any thing but that I didn’t think so. She looked sad. ” (p.35)

Mersault’s inner dialogue at this moment demonstrates his inability to filter or alter through his words in an attempt to please an individual he cares about. He openly admits to lacking these feelings for a woman who is patiently waiting for him to say that he loves her and then proceeds to bluntly state she is sad. Many can interpret this part of the statement to mean that he appeared confused as to why she would look sad whereas I believe he states this fully knowing why Marie would be upset and simply not caring.  This acts as one of the many inner perspectives the reader has of Mersault’s character helping to create a complex relationship between Mersault and the reader considering that he is portrayed to be a somewhat likable character despite his various unlikable traits i.e. his lack of emotional attachment.

Currently i am reading a book called ” The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle. The book is about the inherit meaning of talent, specifically, how it is born and how to harness it. This current chapter i am on is focusing on talent hotbeds, places around the world that seem to breed talent for no discernible reason, such as Brazil and its abundance of star soccer players. This quote here delves into a a theory by the author for why this may be.

“Or consider the scene at the Mermaid Tavern in London during Shakespeare’s day. There, across the river from the Globe Theatre, the major writers of the day-MarLowe, Jonson, Donne, Raleigh,-gathered to talk shop and match wits. Or consider the Academy and Lyceum of Athens, where Plato, Aristotle, and the rest taught, argued, and leanred. ” All of them were concentrated, all of them were simply part of the landscape of everyday life; and all flashed signals that added up to one energizing message: better get busy.

To me this quote is quite intriguing as it uses quite commonly known historical geniuses to prove a point that it is often environments that breed talent. Other researchers on the topic often use environment examples, but by painting people and public discourse as an environment it makes this point much clearer to me.

I have been reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy for about a month now and I am still enjoying it equally to when I started. Anna Karenina is a Russian novel from the early 1900s about Anna, a women who falls in love with Count Vronsky. Although it sounds like a wonderful love story Anna is actually already married creating a story that explores the complexities of adultery, love, and societal standards. This quotation is after Anna gave birth to her illegitimate child with Vronsky and she is describing her woes of her situation.

Everything in this baby was charming, but for some reason all this did not go deep to her heart. On her first child, though the child of an unloved father, had been concentrated all the love that had never found satisfaction. Her baby girl had been born in the most painful circumstances and had not had a hundredth part of the care and thought which had been concentrated on her first child. (Pg. 510)

The reason I chose this quotation was because it made me think of the ethics of adultery at the time, specifically considering children. One argument could say that Anna should not be shamed for her adultery because women were not allowed to get divorced causing Anna to have an affair with Vronsky. Instead of what could happen currently, where it is socially and legally acceptable to get a divorce to prevent this and many other issues. The counter argument is that Anna is affecting others, specifically her child, Seryozha therefore she should stop and does not have the right to do this. This argument considers she should be more selfless and consider Seryozha and her new daughter’s feelings. Supported by Anna stating that her daughter had been born from painful circumstances and that she would not have as much love as her previous son had. Overall, this quotation really helped me brainstorm about the ethics of adultery because it brought up the topic of children previous to the adultery and the possible children conceived from it.

The book I have just finished reading over the break is called All You’re Perfects by Colleen Hoover.

All You’re Perfects is about Quinn and Graham, a couple who have a seemingly perfect marriage until they start facing infertility issues. The book is split into two timelines: the past, where they fall in love, and the present, where they’re struggling to keep their relationship afloat. As they deal with the possibility of not being able to have a child, their marriage starts to suffer, and they start questioning if love is enough. It’s an emotional read that delves into themes of love, loss, and forgiveness, and it’s a good reminder that even the strongest relationships can be tested by life’s challenges. One of the most powerful quotes from All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover is

“Sometimes the waves bring with them things from deep in the bottom of the sea and they leave those things tossed onto the shore.”

This quote highlights the idea that people come and go in our lives, and they leave behind imprints and memories that shape who we are. It encourages us to cherish the moments we share with others, even if they may not be around forever, and to appreciate the memories they leave behind.

I recently started reading a rather interesting book
“Praise for Stargirl”. What makes this book so unique? She doesn’t just tell the story of a girl named Stargirl who decides to stand out from the crowd. It illuminates important questions about identity, self-acceptance, and individuality. Through the pages of the book, you begin to understand that true beauty lies in how we see ourselves and others. Spinelli’s moving prose fascinates the reader, transports him to the world of Stargirl and inspires him to think about his own beliefs and attitude towards others. Each page of the book is a journey on which you go with the main character, discovering new aspects of the world and yourself. “Life is the most powerful poet. Every moment is a poem, every memory is a rhyme.” This quote resonated with me that one should not forget to live and enjoy moments. And we ourselves can create our own life. We need to make it bright and unforgettable, but it depends only on us.

Lately, I have been reading the Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramhansa Yogananda. This quotation is from one of the early chapters, relating one of the author’s interactions with a saint outside a temple, where he discusses understanding the eternal soul.

Man can understand no eternal verity until he has freed himself from pretensions. The human mind, bared to a centuried slime, is teeming with repulsive life of countless world-delusions. Struggles of the battlefields pale into insignificance here, when man first contends with inward enemies! No mortal foes these, to be overcome by harrowing array of might! Omnipresent, unresting, pursuing man even in sleep, subtly equipped with a miasmic weapon, these soldiers of ignorant lusts seek to slay us all. Thoughtless is a man who buries his ideals surrendering to the common fate. Can he seem other than impotent, wooden, ignominious? (p. 77)

I enjoyed reading this quotation because of the intricate use of vocabulary to deliver the message of conquering one’s “inner foes.” For example, the saint says the human mind is covered by a “slime” “teeming with repulsive life of countless world-delusions,” meaning, the human mind gets deluded over time, and this delusion covers the eternal truth of the soul. Then, he relates stray thoughts occurring in one’s mind to “inward enemies” and “soldiers of ignorant lusts seeking to slay us all.” meaning that we must analyse and face our thoughts to truly conquer them, similar to a soldier fighting against another soldier during battle.

For the past few weeks, I have been reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I didn’t know much about the book besides the fact that it was set before the French Revolution, and that the famous quote “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” was in it. So far, I’ve enjoyed the story and the humour, and I especially love Dickens’ use of descriptions to make jokes. For example, in the beginning of the book Mr. Lorry, an English banker, comforts Miss Manette after telling her some startling information. Miss Manette ends up gripping Mr. Lorry’s arm so hard that he needs to call for help to detach himself. The woman who comes running over is described as:

A wild-looking woman, whom even in his agitation Mr. Lorry observed to be all of a red colour, and to have red hair, and to be dressed in some extraordinary tight-fitting fashion, and to have on her head a most wonderful bonnet like a grenadier wooden measure, and a good measure too, or a great Stilton cheese, came running into the room in advance of inn servants, and soon settled the question of his detachment from the poor young lady, by laying a brawny hand upon his chest, and sending him flying back against the nearest wall. (p. 37)

Dickens use of physical comedy is enhanced by the reader’s imagination. By describing the woman’s bonnet as a great Stiltion cheese, Dickens gives the reader an extreme image that their mind can play with. This also helps with characterization, as the reader can assume a number of things about the woman’s personality and demeanour based on her clothing and the way she acts.

Recently, I started reading The Dead Zone by Stephen King. I managed to read only until chapter 3 and do not understand what’s happening. Overall, I grasped that it is Halloween and a boy scares a girl with his costume, then there is a weird explanation of the characters, so unfortunately I have no quotes to share.

I’ve recently started a book called The Maid by Nita Prose. This book is a novel and it tells the story of Molly Gray, a socially awkward maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, who becomes a person of interest when she discovers a prominent guest dead in his bed. I came across this amusing passage in the book.

‘Molly, what are you doing here?’ Mr Snow asked when I showed up from work after Gran died. ‘I’m so sorry for your loss. Mr Prestion told me that your grandmother passed away yesterday. I already called in a replacement for your shift. I assumed you’d take today off.’
‘Mr Snow, why did you assume?’ I asked. ‘As Gran used to say, when you assume, you make an A-S-S out of U and ME.’
Mr Snow looked like he was going to regurgitate a mouse.
‘Please accept my condolences. And are you sure you don’t want the day off?’
‘It was Gran who died, not me,’ I replied. ‘The show must go on, you know’ (p10)

This book paragraph gave me the impression that I was in an obscure comedy performance that would make me chuckle. The line “It was Gran who died, not me” was the one I found most endearing. It seems as though Molly is emotionless; she dismisses it and carries on with her life.

A few weeks ago, I started to read a book named “The Handmaid’s Tale” written by Margaret Atwood, even though I am already 1/3 through the book, I still can tell for certain what it is about. Events take place in the former United States of America, that are now called The Republic of Gilead. Women in this country don’t have any rights, the narrator’s name Offred, like the names of all other Handmaids reflect which Commander owns them “Of Fred”, “Of Glen”, “Of Warren”, their only roles are to be a Commander’s wife, Handmaid (Commander’s child bearer), Martha (a domestic servant), or an Aunt (teacher of the future Handmaids). Even, though men are free in their actions, there are still rules for them as well, all violators are executed and hanged on the wall as an example. Purposely slow pacing builds suspense and intrigue around the story to keep engaged a reader, who’s eager to find out what happens next. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is an exploration of themes such as gender oppression, totalitarianism, and the resilience of the human spirit. I’m excited to find out what happened in this world, where woman is merely an object.

I am finishing another book from the “From Blood and Ash” series titled “A Light in the Flame”. The relationship between Sera and Nyktos, the Primal of Death, is building as they test each other’s trust. The pair discover that Sera holds embers of life inside her soul and must find a way to withdraw them as the power will kill her. In the end, she discovers that the only one who can save her is the one she spent her life planning to kill: Nyktos. This novel explores the concept of the fragile balance of how human emotion can be manipulated but requires companionship to thrive; as depicted in the following quote:

“Needing me or anyone to look out for you doesn’t mean you’re weak, that you can’t defend yourself, or that you’re afraid. We all need someone to watch over us.” (pg.327).

This quote in particular resonated with me as it clearly defines the interconnectedness between bravery and companionship. In the context of the “A Light in the Flame” novel, both protagonists have lived their lives isolated; which develops the problem of only trusting themselves. As these characters begin to understand the importance of love and family, their barriers break. The growth of each character portrayed in a story reveals the truth behind their message: humans are reliant on one another to regulate emotions and give us the support and a purpose to succeed. The quote states the importance of acknowledging when you need help and showcasing that it doesn’t diminish your image of bravery, even if it requires you to admit vulnerability. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit that you need help.

Recently I started reading a book named Fang by James Patterson. I did not read much pages of this book, but I can already tell it’s quite challenging to read because this book is not similar to real life, however I can’t really tell a genre of this book.
Fang begins with very interesting for me start where group of main characters flying over Africa on their mechanical wings, where they unexpectedly facing unknown objects trying to kill them, but they were lucky to escape from them and fly to the village they were trying to get to. When they got to the village they saw a lot of starving kids and people at all, that is why they came there. They started feeding children when Angel(one of the group members) pulled arrowhead-shaped rock from her pocket and started to drag the rock’s point across the heel of child’s open hand.
Thats pretty much what i’ve read from this book and right now it seems pretty interesting to read. I expect a lot of new emotions from this book and I hope I will like it so much

In the fantasy novel, Daughter of the Pirate King, a young woman is forced to fight for power and control in a society plagued by male dominance and sexism. The author, Tricia Levenseller, creates a world of intrigue and mystery, yet also weaves in social challenges that are prominent in today’s world. Levenseller writes of the struggles of the women in the book, highlighting their resilience and capabilities. The theme celebrates female agency and challenges the notion that women are limited by their gender. It portrays women as capable leaders, fighters, and strategists, capable of achieving their goals through their abilities and determination. My favourite quote from the book is from the perspective of the protagonist when constantly being underestimated by those around her.

“Never underestimate the power of a strong and determined woman.”

In this scene alone, the protagonist demonstrates her capabilities, strength and intelligence, proving herself to be just as skilled – if not more so – than her male counterparts. This challenges the notion that women are lesser, and eliminates traditional gender roles associated with piracy and leadership. This is one of the primary reasons why I picked up this book, and the hook which made me continue reading. To hear and learn of empowering women, both real and fiction, breaks down stereotypes and creates a hopeful future. Despite the progress made in the world surrounding sexism, I and many other women experience gender stereotyping regarding strength and leadership abilities regularly. Often, I am told to “step aside and let the men handle the heavy lifting,” and other things similar. It is books and quotes like these that helped me realize I can be equal, if not better, than the people around me, no matter their gender association.

I have just begun reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I was delighted the brief plot summary from one of my friends, but other than that, I have no idea what this book is about, the author’s style, or the genre. It would be very easy to find the answers to these mysteries, but I also like the idea of going into the book unbiased and interpreting it in my own way. I’ll do that. Below is a quote I read three times over at the beginning of chapter two, page seven.

A chair, a table, a lamp. Above, on the white ceiling, a relief ornament in the shape of a wreath, and in the centre of it a blank space, plastered over, like the place in a face where the eye has been taken out. There must have been a chandelier once. They’ve removed anything you could tie a rope to.

So far, the text has ominous themes of the colour red, females, and order. From the details I have retained, this story is set in a land where, as in most, women are categorized by status and their value is acquired according to that status. The main character seems to be middle-classed This allows her to interact with higher classed women, and recognize the satisfactory wealth of herself by being close to the poor. The part that caught my eye about this quote is the second sentence. The way in which Atwood wrote this leaves the reader to question whether “they” have removed anything you could tie a rope to because the women could escape, or, because the women could hang themselves. Either of these options, and the possible more, leaves the reader with a thirst that only reading further could quench. Either of these options are terrifying and set the stage of this book to be filled with thematic, and hopefully courageous, events.

In the book of “Better Than the Movies,”  by Lynn Painter, the quote

“You look best when you’re you. Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have.” (pp.111)

has a true significance. This short but important quote captures the essence of authenticity and self-acceptance, reminding us that when we embrace who we really are, our true beauty appears. It’s like a soft development, telling us to accept our individuality and peculiarities instead of trying to fit into roles that are imposed by society. We follow the characters Liz journeys of self-awareness and development as she learns the value of being true to herself. This quotation connects with myself as I navigate my own search for authenticity and acts as a beacon of hope, showing my way towards self-acceptance and love.

I really am enjoying a lot this book, it has this troop of enemies to lovers which I love because I enjoy reading relationships of love hate situations, they are super interesting and fun to read. With this quote is an example of how little by little the characters from hating each other they start showing their true reality and how they actually love each other and confess their love to one another.

In the book “The kite runner” by Khaled Hosseini, the very first words to me are very meaningful because they set the tone for the book and give you a perspective you can use to read the book with a certain mood.

I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.
Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years. (p. 1)

This part talks about a crucial moment from when the narrator was twelve, showing how past events shape who we are. It says that you can’t really forget the past because it always comes back. The narrator also says that he has been thinking about that alley for twenty-six years, showing how memories can keep haunting us.

This Quote is from the book I’m currently reading, Regretting you by Colleen Hoover. One of the main characters of the book is thinking to herself in this quote.

It means people who make mistakes usually learn from them. That doesn’t make them hypocrites. It makes them experienced. (pg 8)

This quote provides insight to us readers by highlighting the positive aspect of making mistakes. It encourages a shift in perspective, emphasizing that mistakes are opportunities for learning and growth rather than reasons for criticism or judgment. The quote promotes a more forgiving and understanding approach towards individuals who have made mistakes, recognizing their experiences as valuable lessons that contribute to their personal development and wisdom.

I finished my last book right before spring break, so I decided to buy a new one at the airport and read it during the flight. I’m currently reading “Killing Floor” by Lee Child. The plot is interesting so far. It’s not the first time I’ve read something related to murder and crime. I like these kinds of plots because they keep me on the edge of my seat, wondering what’s going to happen. In this quotation, we meet Chief Morrison, an arrogant man who will be essential in investigating the murder case.

“My name is Morrison,” he wheezed. As if I cared. “I am chief of the police department down here in Mar-grave. And you are a murdering outsider bastard. You’ve come down here to my town and you’ve messed up right there on Mr. Kliner’s private property. So now you’re going to make a full confession to my chief of detectives.” (p. 12)

The chief is introducing himself to Racher, the main character. So, his hostility toward Reacher comes from a mixture of anger and fear. He is understandably upset that a homicide occurred in “his” town, and he also labels Reacher as an outsider, which immediately classifies him as a threat. In a city as isolated as Margrave, it is rare, if ever, that someone new arrives, and Morrison reacts as if Reacher’s presence is an infection he means to eradicate.

This spring break I read a book called My year of rest an relaxation by Ottesa Moshfegh, It follows the story of a young woman named the narrator, who decides to embark on a self-imposed hibernation, seeking to escape the pains of existence through an experimental cocktail of prescription drugs. As she endeavors to sleep her troubles away, she reflects on her past, her relationships, and her own sense of identity. Moshfegh’s novel explores themes of alienation, disconnection, and the search for meaning in a world that often feels devoid of purpose. With its dark humor and incisive commentary on contemporary society, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” offers a compelling and unconventional exploration of one woman’s quest for inner peace.

“Sleep felt productive. Something was getting sorted out. I knew in my heart—this was, perhaps, the only thing my heart knew back then—that when I’d slept enough, I’d be okay. I’d be renewed, reborn. I would be a whole new person, every one of my cells regenerated enough times that the old cells were just distant, foggy memories. My past life would be but a dream, and I could start over without regrets, bolstered by the bliss and serenity that I would have accumulated in my year of rest and relaxation.”
― Ottessa Moshfegh, My year of rest and relaxation. 

I picked this quote because it’s true we usually use sleep as a form of escapism of reality, specially in our more vulnerable moments, sometimes we are not even that tired but something inside us says that we should sleep and we will feel better. This a practice the protagonist often uses in the book in the search of felling better.

This spring break I read the book It ends with us by Colleen Hoover, this book centers around the main character Lily, whose life hasn’t always been easy. She came a long way moving from her home town in Main where she grew up and moved to Boston, that is where she fell in love with Ryle, who has a soft spot for her, but bad things started to happen in their relationship when suddenly her first love Atlas reappears and everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

“Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you can simply stop loving them. It’s not a person’s actions that hurt the most. It’s the love. If there was no love attached to the action, the pain would be a little easier to bear.” pg.321

I really liked this phrase because it refers to Lily’s pain and love for Ryle because even though things didn’t worked between them she still loved him because he was a part of her life and a simple action took it all away.

In the book limitless by Jim Kwik, the author shows several techniques for improving focus, developing a growth mindset, and optimizing brain health through nutrition and lifestyle changes. Through practical tips and exercises, Kwik encourages readers to overcome limiting beliefs and tap into their innate abilities to achieve success in various areas of life.

“So often the answers we want are there, but we are not asking the right questions to shine a spotlight on them”

I chose this quote because I think it remarks the importance on how we view things, if we always look for the negative aspects, life will show us the negative reasons, in other hand, if we change the way we think about our selves and our situations, the things that approach to us are positive. The solutions to many of our problems or the answers we seek are often present, but we fail to recognize them because we are asking the wrong questions.

The book that I’m now reading is “Regretting you” by Colleen Hoover. This novel is about Morgan and Clara, mom and daughter. Morgan got pregnant and had Clara when she was only sixteen years old, she has always said that she has never regretted anything, not even having Clara at such a young age but she is determined to never let Clara to do the same mistakes as she did. She always tries to keep her daughter in the right path and she gives her as many life lessons as she cans.

“Right after something tragic happens, you feel like you’ve fallen off a cliff. But after the tragedy starts to sink in, you realize you didn’t fall off a cliff. You’re on an eternal roller coaster that just reached the bottom. Now it’s gonna be up and down and upside down for a long, long time. Maybe even forever.” (p.87)

I chose this quote because it is one of the many life lessons that this book has and I think is very real. When something bad happens to us or something that we expected that was going to be great, results terribly wrong, we completely think that we have bad luck, that everything we do is wrong and the only thing that you want to do is to jump off a cliff just as this quote says. Life is full of ups and downs and that’s what I liked about this quote in specific. One day you can be doing super bad at school, being tired of life, having problems with your friends and family but when you start to change that mindset and start doing things that you like, enjoying the little and precious moments in life and taking care of the things that really matter, everything starts to be in its place. It is the same when a person that is bad, that is rude to others for no reason and that he or she feels that its on top of the world because it has money or something like that, the next day something can happen and he or she can be completely broke. Life is a complete roller coaster, sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. You should never take something for granted.

During spring break, I read Surrounded by Idiots  by Thomas Erikson.  Thomas demonstrate a new method from which you can learn how, not only to understand the people around you, but how, by understanding them will change the way you interact with them. The writer explains that there is four behaviors, he classifies the personality types by color.

Reds and Yellows tend to inflate their strengths and believe that they have no weaknesses.
They have powerful egos, and a great part of their success can probably be attributed to the fact that they don’t get bogged down in faults and shortcomings but instead look for opportunities and good news.
Clearly, this can’t be maintained over time.
Conversely, Greens and Blues usually exaggerate their weaknesses and in certain cases even ignore their strengths.  (p. 65)

For Erikson, we all form part of one of these personalities, it does not mean that some people are better than others.  His key to successful communication is not to compare them but to compliment each other.

In the “Art of Losing”, a book written by Roberto Martinez, he talks about how we must lose the fear of taking initiative without caring about the opinions of others. Although much of the book focuses on this topic, Roberto also mentions problems that happen in society today. One of the topics he talks about is how we develop and follow our passions to create our paths.

“We live in a time where we are told that we must choose a single career or passion. However, this decision is something that we can later come to resent, since, if we cut off our other passions to choose just one, the others will remain like phantom limbs, and we will feel that something is missing to find our voice.” (p.191)

For me, this quote is very important because nowadays a lot of people are not allowed to do the things that they like to do and instead, they are forced to do something else just because their parents did it or just because that has to do with their future, a future that they didn’t choose. So what this quote represents to me is that if you like doing something that might not like to your parents or friends or whatever, you have to show them your capacities to create your future by doing the things you like.

The Novel Magnolia Parks continues with BJ having a bad awakening of his feelings and finding out just how much their love hurts each other. Especially how much he hurt Magnolia and now when he sees Magnolia happy with another guy he notices his pain, which she must also have felt all the time when he slept with other women. 

“That thing in your brain that sounds an alarm: we’re not okay? It’s going off. I’m not okay. I feel like I’ve fallen into a hole. No edge to grab, no end in sight, arse in your stomach, stomach in your throat, heart in the hand of a girl who’s holding someone else’s—just a kind of forever falling, this fucking suspending always falling, which is sort of what it feels like to be in love with her at this point anyway.”  (p.161)

During the scene, you got the impression of feeling the pain of BJ. On the one hand, I felt bad for him but on the other hand, this is what he did to Magnolia more than once. She seems to finally get over the ongoing hurting relationship with BJ. But their love seems to be cursed the way they are still drawn to each other. This endless loop of hiding their feelings, hurting each other over and over again seems as if it may come to an end, leaving BJ heartbroken a dealing with his feelings.

Currently I am reading How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie, a book about dealing with people and opening the door of your perspective and ideas to others. One of the big concepts Carnegie talks about is the art of gratefulness and appreciation.

Let’s not expect gratitude. Then, if we get some occasionally, it will come as a delightful surprise. If we don’t get it, we won’t be disturbed. It is natural for people to forget to be grateful; so, if we go around expecting gratitude, we are headed straight for a lot of heartaches.

This side of gratefulness, the expectation side, is an important yet undiscussed aspect of gratitude. Understanding that you should be helpful or supporting not for the praise you may get from those actions but because it feels good inside of oneself. Ask yourself, does it feel better to help a friend with no praise, yet know you were helpful to a loved one, or avoid helping someone, making that persons life just that much harder, and live knowing you could have done something that they would have benefited from?

The book I am currently reading is called The Fire Eternal written by Chris D’lacey. This book is placed five years after the death of the previous main character called David Rain in the shoes of Liz (David’s tenant and close friend), Lucy (Liz’s daughter and David’s close friend) and Zanna (David’s girlfriend). After all these years Zanna gave birth to David’s daughter who is now four but still refuses to date or begin a relationship with someone else. Lucy however is more so irritated by Zanna and seemingly jealous of her relationship with David and how close they were. This only became apparent to Zanna however when she is working her shop when a handsome man came into her store. Zanna ignored him at first until he began flirting with her and asking her on dates to which she told him that she was not interested. Soon after he left her mind until Gretel (her dragon) reported to her that she saw the man’s contact on Lucy’s phone. The following word were:

“The link was still live . One message from Tam:

Ok met her. David’s partner, right? Baby by him? Good lead, thanx. Checking her out. Tam.                                                             PS. What’s with her scars? Real or self-harmer?

And for the umpteenth time, or however many times one can change a text message in forty minutes, Lucy tried again, this time deleting everything she had written in favor of one word. She read it back, heart pounding, then she posted it into the ether. She was doing this for David, she reminded herself. Someone, one of them, had to make a move. But even as ‘Sent’ flashed up on her screen, she wished she could have clawed the message back. Just one word. Maybe Tam wouldn’t get it?                                                         Or maybe he would.                                                                               One small word                                                                                       One legend.

Oomara.

(Chris D’lacey – The Fire Eternal: pp. 54-55)

In this quote the man called Tam (the man flirting with Zanna) was reporting to Lucy what he had found out about Zanna. The reason she was trying to do this was because (as Liz explained in page 60) ever since David’s death she felt left out of David’s life. Like Zanna and her daughter had the only real connection to him. It didn’t help Lucy of course that Zanna would not move on from David. So Lucy concocts a plan to get Zanna distracted from David and she found that the smart and witty man named Tam would be her shot. However, like anything, his cooperation came at a price, even if it meant giving intel on David and possibly family secrets.