Give me a book and the world feels complete. :-) Can you tell that I love to read? The only reason I don't read all day long is because I have to go to work and spend at least a little bit of time with my family. :-)
Okay, so I just finished Zen Queen by Kristy McManus. It's your typical romance comedy that doesn't really have all that much exciting or original stuff about it except that it takes place in Japan. The basic story is the same, but it does have some parts that are cute.
I don't want to put the whole book down, because it was an entertaining book. It's just the type of book that I feel like I've read a couple hundred times before. The writing is good and the characters are funny. The writer knows how to write comedy pretty well so that all of the disasters happening to the main character, Jessica, sound funny when they could have been amazingly depressing if written in a different tone.
So, we start off with Jessica, who finds herself on a job assignment in Japan and somehow gets fired, deserted and homeless. Yeah, yeah... i know, it all sounds quite depressing. But believe me when I tell you that it does come across as funny. :-) Jess ends up living with a Japanese family then gets a job teaching English at a school with all of these other ex-pats because she doesn't have enough money to fly herself back home.
A good part of the story is how Jess meets her new friends and I did enjoy reading her descriptions of the different places that they went and some of her shopping adventures. I actually liked Jess - she just sounded to adorably cute, even though she was a magnet for bad luck. But as the book goes on, Jess does end up turning things around.
Sorry that this is such a short write up, but there really isn't all that much to tell about this book. It's not fantastic, but it was a nice quick read. This is the type of book you take with you to the side of the pool to sit in the sun for a spell. I'm either getting really fast at reading or this was a really short book, but if I didn't have to go to work, I'm sure I could have read this book in one day. :-)
Happy reading,
Pinka
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Nothing Else Matters
No, I'm not trying to be depressing or philosophical or anything. That is the title of the book I just finished reading by Leslie DuBois.
I had actually read one of her other books and totally loved it. You have your typical teenage angst stuff in the books, but they were written well. I also realized that i didn't write about that last book which kind of makes me sad because now I don't have anything to refer back to. Oh well...
Since I usually read so fast, I can't really remember the exact details from the other book, so I'll concentrate on this one, referring back to the other book, The Queen Bee of Bridgeton, on things that I remember.
I love the fact that this writer has really strong female characters. Both Reyna and the main character from Queen Bee were minority young women in high school that knew what they wanted to do with their lives and were taking the steps to get there, and hope to influence others in their quest.
Reyna did it all - she was valedictorian, tutored on Saturday, president of the school? or was it class? Okay, that I can't remember, but she was one busy lady! In her senior year, she was able to almost single handedly assure that the other black students (and I think there were a total of 12 in her school?) pass or get on the honor roll in the college prep school that they attended.
Her best friend, Scott, had been her dear friend since 6th grade. They loved each other, but Scott's mom didn't approve of her. The year in the book is 2008, so it's not like they live in a time where inter-racial relationships was unheard of. But they lived in the south - I think it was South Carolina? Ah, my short term memory!!! But either way, it should have never been such a big deal.
Now, I've never really been in the south, so I don't know what it's like there. My only experience was one time when I went to West Palm Beach, FL and was treated like I criminal at the local mall near the hotel that my mom and I were attending a conference. I realized that it was just one stupid person acting in a stupid way, so I didn't let it bother me. No one else treated us badly for the rest of our stay, so I never let it bother me. So, again, I have no idea if people like Scott's mom still exist in the south - I'm sure they do because we have stupid thinking people like that in AZ, and even in CA when I grew up. Heck, even my best friend from Jr. high and high school (and part of college) - her parent's didn't like me at first because I was a Hispanic that lived in a bad area of San Jose. But they got to know me and hopefully got over it - unless they were just acting well enough to fool me (which I doubt).
Anyway, Reyna and Scott fall in love... but what makes this interesting is that Scott is white. I believe that the writer had a similar story with Queen Bee - where the main character is black and her love interest is white. The story does have some of the interesting conflicts in it, which not only intrigued me, but really made me think.
My niece, who I consider my daughter since she moved in with us at age 15, has the sweetest boyfriend ever. I am so proud of them because they just got their first apartment together, and even though I would have loved having them home for longer, knew that they had to get their own space and be on their own. They are so good together and I can tell that they really love each other. On the other hand, my poor niece has been torn because her grandparents, my own mom and dad, who taught me from childhood that all people are equal and all require the same amount of respect; do not approve of Bunny and her boyfriend's relationship.
What the big shocker to me is that I can't believe that these are the same people that raised me. Was it all an act? It must have because thinking back in it, even 20 years ago they treated my husband like crap. Was it because he was white? Oh, I hate to think of this as a whole black/white/racial issue, but I really can't tell anymore. My parents eventually accepted my husband, though never as well as I was accepted into my husband's family; and it makes me wonder if they will ever accept my daughter's boyfriend? I love those kids with all my heart and only hope for the best for both of them. I don't care what my parents think and I hope that my support and unconditional love will help both of them get over my parent's stupidity. They are both good kids and they love each other, so just like the title of the book, nothing else matters. Nothing else should matter when it comes to love.
The writer made a really good point when the main character, Reyna, had a moment of clarity. She realized that so many people go around looking for their true love their whole lives, and so many never do. So why should the color of someones skin make a difference if she and Scott loved each other? They had (or at least she thought they had) that true love that the proverbial soul mates have for each other. I really liked this point and know that I point that out to people often when I talk about why I support same sex marriage. When you love someone, it shouldn't matter.
Reyna and Scott end up getting married despite Scott's mom and her horrible attitude. I hope that nothing will stop the true life romance story happening in front of my very eyes between my Bunny and her boyfriend from living their happily ever after as well. That story is still unfinished, and we'll have to wait and see... :-)
Happy reading,
Pinka
I had actually read one of her other books and totally loved it. You have your typical teenage angst stuff in the books, but they were written well. I also realized that i didn't write about that last book which kind of makes me sad because now I don't have anything to refer back to. Oh well...
Since I usually read so fast, I can't really remember the exact details from the other book, so I'll concentrate on this one, referring back to the other book, The Queen Bee of Bridgeton, on things that I remember.
I love the fact that this writer has really strong female characters. Both Reyna and the main character from Queen Bee were minority young women in high school that knew what they wanted to do with their lives and were taking the steps to get there, and hope to influence others in their quest.
Reyna did it all - she was valedictorian, tutored on Saturday, president of the school? or was it class? Okay, that I can't remember, but she was one busy lady! In her senior year, she was able to almost single handedly assure that the other black students (and I think there were a total of 12 in her school?) pass or get on the honor roll in the college prep school that they attended.
Her best friend, Scott, had been her dear friend since 6th grade. They loved each other, but Scott's mom didn't approve of her. The year in the book is 2008, so it's not like they live in a time where inter-racial relationships was unheard of. But they lived in the south - I think it was South Carolina? Ah, my short term memory!!! But either way, it should have never been such a big deal.
Now, I've never really been in the south, so I don't know what it's like there. My only experience was one time when I went to West Palm Beach, FL and was treated like I criminal at the local mall near the hotel that my mom and I were attending a conference. I realized that it was just one stupid person acting in a stupid way, so I didn't let it bother me. No one else treated us badly for the rest of our stay, so I never let it bother me. So, again, I have no idea if people like Scott's mom still exist in the south - I'm sure they do because we have stupid thinking people like that in AZ, and even in CA when I grew up. Heck, even my best friend from Jr. high and high school (and part of college) - her parent's didn't like me at first because I was a Hispanic that lived in a bad area of San Jose. But they got to know me and hopefully got over it - unless they were just acting well enough to fool me (which I doubt).
Anyway, Reyna and Scott fall in love... but what makes this interesting is that Scott is white. I believe that the writer had a similar story with Queen Bee - where the main character is black and her love interest is white. The story does have some of the interesting conflicts in it, which not only intrigued me, but really made me think.
My niece, who I consider my daughter since she moved in with us at age 15, has the sweetest boyfriend ever. I am so proud of them because they just got their first apartment together, and even though I would have loved having them home for longer, knew that they had to get their own space and be on their own. They are so good together and I can tell that they really love each other. On the other hand, my poor niece has been torn because her grandparents, my own mom and dad, who taught me from childhood that all people are equal and all require the same amount of respect; do not approve of Bunny and her boyfriend's relationship.
What the big shocker to me is that I can't believe that these are the same people that raised me. Was it all an act? It must have because thinking back in it, even 20 years ago they treated my husband like crap. Was it because he was white? Oh, I hate to think of this as a whole black/white/racial issue, but I really can't tell anymore. My parents eventually accepted my husband, though never as well as I was accepted into my husband's family; and it makes me wonder if they will ever accept my daughter's boyfriend? I love those kids with all my heart and only hope for the best for both of them. I don't care what my parents think and I hope that my support and unconditional love will help both of them get over my parent's stupidity. They are both good kids and they love each other, so just like the title of the book, nothing else matters. Nothing else should matter when it comes to love.
The writer made a really good point when the main character, Reyna, had a moment of clarity. She realized that so many people go around looking for their true love their whole lives, and so many never do. So why should the color of someones skin make a difference if she and Scott loved each other? They had (or at least she thought they had) that true love that the proverbial soul mates have for each other. I really liked this point and know that I point that out to people often when I talk about why I support same sex marriage. When you love someone, it shouldn't matter.
Reyna and Scott end up getting married despite Scott's mom and her horrible attitude. I hope that nothing will stop the true life romance story happening in front of my very eyes between my Bunny and her boyfriend from living their happily ever after as well. That story is still unfinished, and we'll have to wait and see... :-)
Happy reading,
Pinka
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Now here's a different type of book
Now how many people do you know that would go from readying a book like Fifty Shades to a self-help book called The Ultimate Investment? Am I the only one? I can't be, so I hope someone out there will let me know (out of the 3 of you who read my blog).
I just finished reading "The Ultimate Investment, Achieving Life's Highest Returns, An Allegory" by H. Bradley Stucki. It was a really short book and wasn't written very well - which is why I don't really read books like this very often - but I stuck through it and even if I didn't care for the writing, I can appreciate the message that the writer was trying to get across.
Basically, this is a self help book to learn to achieve success. The basic principal is that success does not necessarily mean making tons of money. I think there are more middle class people that are successful than a few of those millionaires that you see on TV. They may not have the same amount of money, but how many celebrities can brag about being married 20, 30 or 40 years? There aren't that many... I bet there are more middle class working shmo's that can brag that success. :-) I can understand that and can totally put my mind around that idea.
So, in this book, instead of being one of those 400 page sales pitches on how to invest your money to make a gazillion in three minutes, it's a story about a desperate man, Dan, who needs to find something that could help him make more money and be able to spend more time with his family as well.
Dan goes to one of my favorite places in the world - the library - to try to start his quest to make more money. As he starts to skim through a bunch of sales pitch investment books, he finds an old note. This note talks about the ultimate investment and gives hints as to what parts make up this ultimate investment. The clues are pretty basic - but there are so many people that don't really see it or know how to put it into practice. I guess that's why these get rich quick books and programs are so popular because the people who put these together did know how to put it all together and then how to sell it. But basically this is what they are:
I can tell you from experience that the job part is probably the most difficult when it comes to this whole book. When I got my degree in accounting, I knew that I had to do something where I knew I could make a decent living. My hubby was getting his degree in English Literature and didn't want to teach... so what did that leave us with? I knew that I'd have to be the main income earner in our family - which was not all that bad because I always wanted to do that, even as a kid.
My accounting degree was working out to be pretty helpful and I was enjoying my first job out of college until the company got purchased by another. I actually had to look for another job and the next two jobs were okay, but not like the first. I learned from my classes in college that I really enjoyed the subject of taxation. I am good with numbers, but needed just a little more of a challenge than a bunch of number crunching. I was fascinated with accounting because it wasn't black and white like engineering seemed to be. Tax seemed to be even more challenging and even less black and white than regular accounting was.
I tried to get into the tax department in at my previous three jobs, but the openings were so rare that it seemed like I had to wait for someone to retire before I could get my chance... which didn't happen. This year I finally got my chance... and I really like this job! So, I'm doing something that I like - I don't love it because I'd rather be teaching instead - but I can handle doing this for a while. The people that I work with are awesome and as long as we can continue working as a team I'm pretty sure I'll be happy where I am.
Now, how do I now take the other steps of this book and apply it to my life? Well, other than trying to get out of our small debt that we built up during the time hubby got laid off last year, I know that I need to start putting aside a bit more money to invest for both the future and the present. Something safe and secure for the future, but maybe something a little more aggressive for the short term.
I know that I need to spend a little more time doing research and talking to our financial advisor about that. This will all pay off in time, but I know that I've already taken the right steps to get to where I want to be. I'll continue teaching a few classes here and there just to keep the itch at bay, but I'll continue working where I am until I feel more comfortable with this new role, then take it up to the next step. How long will it take? I don't know, but I know that I'll have fun getting there.
Happy reading,
Pinka
I just finished reading "The Ultimate Investment, Achieving Life's Highest Returns, An Allegory" by H. Bradley Stucki. It was a really short book and wasn't written very well - which is why I don't really read books like this very often - but I stuck through it and even if I didn't care for the writing, I can appreciate the message that the writer was trying to get across.
Basically, this is a self help book to learn to achieve success. The basic principal is that success does not necessarily mean making tons of money. I think there are more middle class people that are successful than a few of those millionaires that you see on TV. They may not have the same amount of money, but how many celebrities can brag about being married 20, 30 or 40 years? There aren't that many... I bet there are more middle class working shmo's that can brag that success. :-) I can understand that and can totally put my mind around that idea.
So, in this book, instead of being one of those 400 page sales pitches on how to invest your money to make a gazillion in three minutes, it's a story about a desperate man, Dan, who needs to find something that could help him make more money and be able to spend more time with his family as well.
Dan goes to one of my favorite places in the world - the library - to try to start his quest to make more money. As he starts to skim through a bunch of sales pitch investment books, he finds an old note. This note talks about the ultimate investment and gives hints as to what parts make up this ultimate investment. The clues are pretty basic - but there are so many people that don't really see it or know how to put it into practice. I guess that's why these get rich quick books and programs are so popular because the people who put these together did know how to put it all together and then how to sell it. But basically this is what they are:
- Desire - if you really want to turn your life around, you need to have that desire and be willing to do what it takes to get there. Nothing comes from just sitting back and watching everyone else do what you want to do. This is what Dan figure out when he went to the library - he knew and wanted to change things.
- Incremental Investing - this was the second clue. It talks about how to learn to invest. Only invest what you can afford to lose and invest wisely. Invest for your future, but also take into consideration what you want to do now. Want to take the kids to Disneyland? Learn what it will take to make that possible. It also talks about learning how to invest so you don't lose your shirt.
- Family - the third clue. The book talks about how nothing can be as successful without the love of a family to surround you. This makes total sense. Lots of people want to make more money in order to be able to give more to their families. That's why there are so many two income families. Families want to live in a nice house, nice neighborhood and send their kids to good schools. They want to be able to send their kids to college without getting into so much debt that they'll be paying off their student loans after retirement. But all of this costs money and you can't do that on one income alone anymore.
- Love - still part of the third clue. This part is directly related to family, but along with loving your family, a person should love what they do.
- Time - this is what is considered the ultimate investment. It was a little long winded to get there, but I got it pretty quick. (I'm good a riddles, what can I say?) This clue basically said that this is something that everyone gets pretty equally - 24 hours a day - no matter how much or how little money you make. How you choose to use it is what may make the different between what makes a person successful or not. This makes so much sense but so many choose to use their time doing what they want and not what they should to achieve success.
I can tell you from experience that the job part is probably the most difficult when it comes to this whole book. When I got my degree in accounting, I knew that I had to do something where I knew I could make a decent living. My hubby was getting his degree in English Literature and didn't want to teach... so what did that leave us with? I knew that I'd have to be the main income earner in our family - which was not all that bad because I always wanted to do that, even as a kid.
My accounting degree was working out to be pretty helpful and I was enjoying my first job out of college until the company got purchased by another. I actually had to look for another job and the next two jobs were okay, but not like the first. I learned from my classes in college that I really enjoyed the subject of taxation. I am good with numbers, but needed just a little more of a challenge than a bunch of number crunching. I was fascinated with accounting because it wasn't black and white like engineering seemed to be. Tax seemed to be even more challenging and even less black and white than regular accounting was.
I tried to get into the tax department in at my previous three jobs, but the openings were so rare that it seemed like I had to wait for someone to retire before I could get my chance... which didn't happen. This year I finally got my chance... and I really like this job! So, I'm doing something that I like - I don't love it because I'd rather be teaching instead - but I can handle doing this for a while. The people that I work with are awesome and as long as we can continue working as a team I'm pretty sure I'll be happy where I am.
Now, how do I now take the other steps of this book and apply it to my life? Well, other than trying to get out of our small debt that we built up during the time hubby got laid off last year, I know that I need to start putting aside a bit more money to invest for both the future and the present. Something safe and secure for the future, but maybe something a little more aggressive for the short term.
I know that I need to spend a little more time doing research and talking to our financial advisor about that. This will all pay off in time, but I know that I've already taken the right steps to get to where I want to be. I'll continue teaching a few classes here and there just to keep the itch at bay, but I'll continue working where I am until I feel more comfortable with this new role, then take it up to the next step. How long will it take? I don't know, but I know that I'll have fun getting there.
Happy reading,
Pinka
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