currently reading

Shadow Child, Joseph A. Citro (1998)
The Garden: A Parable, Geshe Michael Roach (2000)

Shadow Child is a modern gothic thriller set in the Vermount woods where ppl are myseriously disappearing. The Garden is, well, a Tibetan Buddhist parable about seeking wisdom, i believe, from reading the back cover. (Geshe = Master of Buddhism) ps. haven't read them yet, just gleaning these info from the back of the books.

let me explain a bit why i choose a Buddhist-influenced book to read, knowing my well-known aversion to organised religion.

Well, the thing that appeals to me about Buddhism is at its core, it seems to be a personal thing. if you don't believe it, you'll not going to go to a bad place and have nasty ppl do nasty things to you - just means that you aren't ready to learn yet. yep. more in line with my way of thinking; if a pig doesn't want to learn, you can't change its dirty ways. i mean, sure, you can chop it up for yummy pork chops and bacon, and that will surely teach it not to mess with the man with the big knife, but the pig has essentially learned nothing about its condition. only when it realises that its spending too much time in filth can you show it the wonders of soap.

similarly, Buddhism teaches detachment from the world, as suffering arises from attachment desires. hmmm. again, more in line with the way i think. but, detachment doesn't mean living cut off from the world, to me at least. just means that you have to acknowledge that material things are transient and will fade away. doesn't mean you don't live, but it does make obvious how futile chasing after material fulfilment is - makes the "5 C's" sound a bit silly. good luck bringing it with you, idiot. still, you cannot appreciate the beauty of flowers until you know that they will eventually wither and fade away. so when you find something important to you, cherish it because it will be gone. but don't be too attached? lol. hmmm. i guess my understanding is a bit flawed, but i mean, for me, okay, if i find something important, yes, i will cherish it knowing full well that it will be gone one day and that will cause me sorrow and pain, but that is a price i will gladly pay because that is living. hmmm. guess that's because i am still young, still have things to look forward to, or just that i am not ready to understand it yet. logically, yes, brain processes concept, but asking me to give up love? pretty hard, at this point in life, don't think i can do it. ask me again in ten years time. ^^

anyway, that was pretty heavy. of course, the above is just my own understanding and interpretation. doesn't mean i am turning Buddhist. cos one thing that really irks me is dividing ppl into groups by labeling them because of their beliefs. it's almost as good as dividing ppl into those who like the colour red and those who don't, and throwing their differences in their face, and stirring things up until someone says something and we have a nice, big fight on our hands. can't we all just live in peace and quietly contemplate the wonders of soap, and i wouldn't care if you don't like red. :D

wow. can use the above in the miss universe contest. imagine spewing all that out rather than just saying "i want world peace." that would be so sexy. ^^

so, amy tan. hmmm. i found i enjoyed Hundred Secret Senses more than Joy Luck Club, which seems to the opposite for other readers, which in this case, happens to be two other females. (am at this point in life where i find it hard to call similar age-group females "girls", cos that's a bit young and demeaning considering their life experiences, but finding it hard to call them "woman", cos that seems a bit too old. like mommy stage. lol. "females" seems a bit cold though. oh, for a word to describe those mysterious, enchanting creatures, between the ages of 23-28.) for some reason, i just found the elder sister in Hundred Secret Senses comical and that heightened my enjoyment of the book. and she seemed to make awesome food! i remember that she always seemed to be making pot-stickers, or frying scallops and prawns. yum~XD FEED ME! Joy Luck was a bit dark for me, and seems to be quite disjointed. the numerous characters just made it harder for me to care and be involved.

oh well, that's my 2 cents worth. coincidentally, after reading so much amy tan, anyone else get the impression that china is filled with magic pools/springs/caves?