A gentleman friend and I were dining at the Ritz last evening and he said that if I took a pencil and a paper and put down all of my thoughts it would make a book. This almost made me smile as what it would really make would be a whole row of encyclopediacs. I mean I seem to be thinking practically all of the time. I mean it is my favorite recreation and sometimes I sit for hours and do not seem to do anything else but think. So this gentlemen said a girl with brains ought to do something else with them besides think. –Anita Loos, Genltemen Prefer Blondes
Who am I, and why could you possibly care? Good question. This is the first time I’m taking a stab at blogging. I want to be a writer, and yet – for some reason – it has never really occurred to me to turn to blogging. To be fair, I’ve always been more interested in creative writing than nonfiction, but the people who know me well seem to think I should put my thoughts down in a more critical fashion. Like Lorelai from Anita Loo’s book, I suppose I should do more with my thoughts than simply think them.
From my photo and the above quote, I hope you have gathered some details about my interests. If you haven’t, I’ll list them out, along with other things I plan on writing about in this blog.
- I am Asian. Specifically, I am Chinese American. Born and bred in the liberal land deemed San Francisco, where I have daydreamed in the midst of heavy fog.
- I bleed books. I was an English major at Harvard University, where I finished a thesis on Asian American literature. Some of my favorite books are Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin. I just graduated and am now entering the adult world. Eeek.
- I’m in love with all things creative. My parents didn’t want me to become an artist, so they refused to give me art lessons (goodbye, the life of the starving painter — hello, the life of a struggling writer). Still, I scribbled on until I could somewhat decently draw. My other new passion is photography. Still much to be desired, but I hope to keep it up.
- News. I know, crazy, but I do try to keep up with the daily going-ons of this globally connected world.
Basically, if you’re interested in reading about any of that — Asian America, Harvard, English, Job Hunting/First Job, Art, Photography, Opinions… if anything here interests you, please look forward to my new posts!
(P.S. if you’re interested in Fashion, check out my other blog I’m working on with a friend, Aruna, at aamuse.wordpress.com. Among my friends, apparently I’m the “fashionable” one. Strange, since I would never have thought so in my younger age. Yet, I suppose it’s true. I’m not a fashionista, but I certainly like being well-dressed. The issue is keeping my wallet happy as well.)
languid curiosity 
I think my parents are part of why I didn’t pursue art as well. I’ll be bookmarking your blog! I’m looking forward to reading more.
LikeLike
Asian American Lit, huh? Am I allowed to say that “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” is one of my favorite books ever? Does that count as Asian American Lit?
I must admit I’m a paralegal/law major myself, but early on I tried to pursue a Lit degree.
I also love books and tend to read 4-5 at one time. According to my friend and family, this is weird.
Looking forward to perusing your blog!
LikeLike
You’re allowed to say it’s your favorite book, of course! I actually haven’t heard of the book before, but it probably doesn’t fall under what we would teach as “Asian American Lit” in college courses. That being said, it can definitely still be a good book, but just like we don’t study most romance or thriller novels in English classes, this book might fall more under contemporary entertainment novels instead of “literary” books.
Curious – are you a paralegal or a lawyer? Just wondering if/how you ended up using your major! 🙂 And I used to read almost all day, so hey, if you like to read 4-5 at one time and it works, the more power to you!
LikeLike
Actually, it isn’t a romance or thriller at all. It’s about the language women created that was independent of men and the way they had to hide it back in the 1800s. It also discusses foot-binding and how matchmaking was done (not in a romantic sense, in a cultural sense). I think it’s an excellent literary read.
I currently only have completed a paralegal degree, so it would be illegal for me to practice law 😉 But I intend to eventually try for a full-on law degree. They’re just so expensive that it’s hard to know whether loans would be worth it. I have a crippling fear of debt.
I work currently as a paralegal/program manager for a non-profit company. It’s not that exciting. Lol.
LikeLike
No offense, but I get the feeling whoever put you up to this is talking to you the way some do to my mother:P You have so many thoughts and words coming out of your mouth/head…people start telling you to put them down on paper or to use….somewhere else….anywhere else but HERE (where they are). And, that could be hurtful after a while. A “polite” way of telling you to zip it.
I am all for discussing art, photography and fashion with you if interested:) Shame on your parents for stunting any artistic growth. The world needs new ideas. And, if a picture is worth a thousand words, we could save people tuning out by tuning them in to images.
LikeLike
Ha ha, I see what you mean. The quote was really from fictional satire, and then luckily I know the people who have suggested me to write nonfiction were very close and dear people in my life. 🙂 But I can see how it can mean “zip it” in a certain context.
I’d love to discuss art, photography, and fashion! Feel free to let me know your thoughts.
LikeLike