Joey > Recent Status Updates

Oh, it seems like my understanding of the motivation behind China's international trade agreements being demonized by the West is in accord with the author's analysis.

What has made me surprised so far is the fact that there's such a thing charcoal blackening substituted for clothing in China. Pardon me for my ignorance. I'm still exploring the Chinese history.

I've been obsessing about reading more books about China after the Philippines won the arbitration case against China on the South China Sea dispute in 2016. Thereafter I have been wondering about how that ruling works in geopolitics, for China is now one of the biggest game players.

Back to basics since most of the books I'm into now have something to do with history. Sometimes I'm no longer familiar with the historical facts I passionately committed to memory back in high school. But this time it's not all about memorizing what happened in the past bur rather applying them to understanding of social and political situations.

" The initial Han equilibrium was based on a balance between the interest of all parties in creating a strong, unified central Chinese state to avoid the turmoil and warfare of the Eastern Zhou, and the interest of the local elites across China who wanted to hold on to as much of their power and privilege as possible... The state that was created in the Former Han was stable because it was based on compromise.."

I've noticed that John Irving loves padding his novels with disgusting and salacious scenes.

I believe that I am a consequentialist when it comes to drawing what is right or wrong.

I'm now at the scene where Yeong-he is forced by her father to eat meat and hurt if she defies his paternal order.....It makes me grunt and feel like knocking the living the daylight of him.Grrrr!!!!

This is the GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2015 Winner for Mystery and Thriller that narrowly defeated Stephen King's Finders Keepers and Robert Galbraith's Career of Evil.

Finally, I'm stuck in a book that bears a little resemblance to YA classics. I'm enjoying it so far.^^

It's about time I cleaned out one of the books that has been collecting dust bunnies since 2014. ^^

It's about time I cleaned out one of the books that have been collecting dust bunnies since 2014. ^^

I'm almost close to the last walk of Mandela. ^_^

What's happening to the story? It is no longer as poetical and lyrical as in the beginning. @_@

Reading it makes me feel like a teen-ager again. ^^

It's hard for a general science snob like me to imagine how Watney uses the atmospheric regulator. Hmmm...

...strewn with scientific words that I have to assimilate...but spell-binding though

It's been a good read so far ; the sentences are sooo light and beautifully written , not as downright anglicized as American novels.

I decided to re-read it after my heated discourse with a dyed-in-the-wool faith-head on Facebook. Besides, rereading something just the like of this could wash my brain, not necessarily my standpoints, but I just want to pore over the whole point more .

Whenever my Korean students told me about the abject human miseries in North Korea, I thought they were just figments of my imagination.This book is bearing the witness.

Most of my students are Korean. I reckon that the more cognizant I am of their history, the more harmonious relationship there could be between them and I.

Oh, it is a springboard for reading Stephen King's works. I don't mind some spoilers;they could arouse my excitement. Yee!

Hitchens was so audacious. For sure, religious people would stone him to death were he still alive.

For sure, religious people would stone him to death if Hitchens were still alive.

Uh-oh! I'm now puzzled by the panoply of names. Checking the cast of characters slows down my reading....

The writing styles seem to have a little resemblance to Martin Amis's. Both of them love using hefty metaphors to make the passages sound la-di-da .....

The writing styles seem to have a little resemblance to Martin Amis's. Both of them love using hefty metaphors to make the passages sound la-di-da .....

My first James Baldwin's book. I always wonder why he is such an immortal among the Black American Literati. Hard luck, I've not been able to spot his famous books GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN and GIOVANNI'S ROOM...

I should be more familiar with all immortal books in the world.I can't relate to it.

So far, it's a light read. Sounds like a chick lit.

I understand Tim O'Brien. If I must be drafted into the army, I would find a way to escape. I would be in a dog house. Whoa! It's still a matter of courage.