A Retrospective on 2012

Well I am resurrecting this very much dead blog to update you on what has happened since May 2012.  A lot has happened and not much as happened, as always.

Highlight

I made a vague resolution to myself at the start of 2012 that I would find my internship before my 22nd birthday which is in July.  Well, I did.  I am nearing the end of my internship.  It's been a great learning experience, not just intellectually wise but also how a office workplace works and functions. 

Lowlight

Getting pneumonia twice and being hospitalised for one of those occasions.  The first time I was delirious with fever, so much so that I truly believed that Admiral Adama was my best friend (he was only Commander Adama then since it was Season 1).  We had deep and meaningful conversations while I half slept.  I have no idea what we talked about.  Anyway it resulted in a two (or was it three?) night hospital stay.  Pneumonia is very disruptive as it leaves you physically weak, unable to work or study.  Blegh.

The positive of the lowlight?

For probably the first time ever I am making a conscious effort to exercise.  And it's true, you feel healthier and you have more energy if you exercise regularly.

Those are the only two major life events that stand out.  Moving on.

Top Novel of 2012

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002) - I finished this book in a lot less time than I expected, it's quite a thick book.  All the characters were so likeable and when they couldn't overcome obstacles, it made it all the more heart-wrenching.  This novel definitely goes on my shelf of favourite books, a book that "fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book (The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012))."  That is how much I like this book.

Top TV of 2012

Battlestar Galactica  (2004-2009) - BG was/is some of the best television I have watched in a while.   The drama!  The suspense!  Character development!  Humans losing their humanity!  Just thinking about Battlestar Galactica makes me want to watch it again. Here is an excellent piece about Battlestar Galactica by writer James Bradley, he covers the points about why I love this series so much.  He has written about it infinitely more eloquently than I ever could.  For obvious reasons. 


Top Music of 2012

Hospice by The Antlers (2009) - 'Kettering' was played in an episode of 'Chuck' (another fine TV series) and that scene in Chuck was the perfect blend of the emotional, visual and aural.  And so began the short hunt for the song ie Google, which resulted in me falling into the abyss of the bleak, depressing, hopeless and enthralling listening pleasure that is 'Hospice'.   It's the type of music that demands to be listened to not as background music to your studying but as a sole activity.

Top Film of 2012

Pretty in Pink (1986) - The first movie I've watched by John Hughes the "king of teen movies" (Wiki).  I loved the way that Andie dressed -  girly, brooches, florals, hats and tweaking items to suit her style.  Duckie dressed sharply too with his very thrift store style, bold patterns and colours, huge rings and hats.  I loved watching it for the clothes, the humour, the unrequited love.  The standout scene was Duckie performing to Otis Redding's 'Try A Little Tenderness' in the record store.  See below.  I really hate the ending though.  Why, John Hughes, why?! Why stupid focus group?!  Jon Cryer was so good in this...cannot believe he's on Two and a Half Men.

I realise that all the tops were not from 2012...I am perpetually playing the game of catch up.  I hope 2013 is filled with adventures, opportunities and great people, for you and me. 

Op Shop Guide - The North Shore Line

Since I spend a lot of my time browsing op shops for clothes I thought I would compile some maps of op shops in the Sydney region.  They will be organised by train lines.  I have excluded op shops that are not easy to get to via train as rail is my preferred form of transport.  These places should be within a 10-15 minute walk away from the station.  I hope Sydney residents find it helpful!  Everyone else, I apologise as this isn’t very useful for you.  The stores in the US like Goodwill are huge and cheap compared to the stores here.  I am so very jealous.  On average I spend about $7 on tops and $9 on bottoms when I am shopping.

If I have missed any, please let me know.  :)

Here is the link to the Google Map.

View Op Shops - North Shore Line in a larger map

Review: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Most famous for his first novel, The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex is Eugnenides' second book, published 9 years after his debut.

The book is hefty but do not be intimidated by the 500+ pages of Middlesex, believe me they pass by quickly.  The novel is incredibly readable and that is a positive thing.  The prose flows and is processed easily from page to brain, the voices of each of the characters are consistent, distinct and realistic.  The plot may seem absurd and kind of ick, but honestly, Cal was so well realised, and so likeable, you forget the similarities to Flowers in the Attic.

The quote that I remember most distinctly from the novel, which also happens to be the 'most liked' quote on Goodreads, go figure.


"Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words.  I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret."  Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling.  I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster."  Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy."  I'd like to show how "intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members" connects with "the hatred of mirrors that begins in middle age."  I'd like to have a word for "the sadness inspired by failing restaurants" as well as for "the excitement of getting a room with a minibar."  I've never had the right words to describe my life, and now that I've entered my story, I need them more than ever. ” 

Eugenides effortlessly ties together many themes such as the American Dream, finding your identity, fate/chance and nature vs. nurture, into bundle of words that was of the utmost pleasure to read.  

I kind of wish I grew up in Detroit at the same time as Eugenides so that I could get a deeper understanding about the culture of Detroit and the geography of the the city since I didn't have any prior knowledge before reading the book.  Alas, if only I had a TARDIS.  

After I finished the book, I was ready to turn back to page one and start reading it again.  This is a rare occurrence for me, so this book goes onto my mental/literal shelf of favourite books.  I feel that I should write more about this novel and why I like it so much but my mediocre writing skills would be doing a disservice to this fine novel.