Archive for January, 2010
And Never Let Me Go
“It wasn’t that I thought I’d burst into tears or lose my temper or anything like that. But I decided just to turn and go. Even later that day, I realised this was a bad mistake. All I can say is that at the time what I feared more than anything was that one or the other of them would stalk off first, and I’d be left with the remaining one. I don’t know why, but it didn’t seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make sure that one was me. So I turned and marched back the way I’d come, past the gravestones towards the low wooden gate, and for several minutes; I felt as though I’d triumphed; that now they’d been left in each other’s company, they were suffering a fate they thoroughly deserved.”
Before this, I’d never read an Ishiguro book before. I had always wanted to try Remains Of The Day, but that title always got to me. It always seemed a bit distant somehow.
Then one day I was at Borders, and I wanted to get the Borders panda plushie, called Beckett because it reminded me of someone, and they were having a promotion and I could get it for cheaper if I bought some books. On a whim, I decided to get my very first Ishiguro, and it just happened to be Never Let Me Go because (if memory serves) that’s all they had in stock. And I’m glad it turned out that way.
Never Let Me Go is a story set in a slightly fantastic 1990s England. I didn’t realise this at first. In fact, it took me a while to realise the premise of what I was reading. (Much to my embarrassment, it took me a bit of time to realise that I was not reading about ordinary nursing students.) Yet, beyond this strange setting, the novel works its way into being a story about love and friendship and the very nature of being. It’s a glorious book, written with a gentle elegance and a faint strangeness, and is clearly at its best when characters are forced to deal with living with respect to themselves and also each other.
At times it did feel as if the setting was a bit of a contrivance, which was a little jarring because I couldn’t help but feel a bit removed from it all whenever I thought about this. It just occasionally felt as if the story could achieve what it was intended to achieve without moving into such territory. But it was just a slight feeling, and it didn’t happen very often.
The pages leading up to the conclusion did seem to me a little deus ex machina-ish. I didn’t quite like one portion of it because it reminded me of the overly talkative part The Matrix just before the finale. It just seemed disconnected somehow. Maybe it was the whole gigantic thematic sequence that it tried to have. It seemed to overstretch, to extend itself into an area that it didn’t do so well. Or maybe it was how the section came across to me like the big reveal in some crime novel when it really wasn’t one. That said, that felt like more of a blip than anything else in an otherwise remarkable stretch of writing. The conclusion itself was very elegaic and proper, and I didn’t feel let down one bit.
It’s a gorgeous book. Its finest moments are in the delicate bits, when the frailty of the characters is undeniable and their confusion or futility is reflected in Ishiguro’s wonderful prose. These are the points at which the novel proves most revealing. These are the portions that elevate the novel into its own special realm of greatness.
And with that, I suppose I’m done gushing. What a great way to start the reading year.
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Wincing The Night Away
Funny how productive a day can be and yet still feel like I’ve completely wasted my time. But in any case, I had to get a new printer because the old printer drum had given up on living and a new one would cost more than a new printer, which doesn’t make much sense but nothing much in the world makes a lot of sense anyway. I also fetched a bunch of army items for myself and Paul. Then I went looking at some cameras, which surprisingly yielded a second-hand lens that I really wouldn’t mind getting my hands on. (The surprising part was finding it in the first place.) Oh I also got picture frames. And along the way I learnt that the new food court at Causeway Point is quite poor. First-hand.
Now it’s night and I’m wondering why my lecturers have all decided not to give us notes for our lectures tomorrow. Not a lot of night to go, but I’ve got quite a few things to do. Setting up the printer for one, but I’m also keen to set up a bit of work. It’s work that was supposed to be completed today, but wasn’t because I went out to do all of those things. I’m not exactly lagging far behind or anything, but it feels a little awful not having accomplished what I was meant to today.
Still, some bit of the night to go, so let’s make the most of it.
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Second Day
It’s the second day of school. Of course, as I’m writing this, it’s yet to start, so I’m not actually telling you about the second day of school. And I suppose in that case, the title is kind of cheating. I will however tell you about the first day of school, which went reasonably well, as well as a first day of school could be expected to be. It did somehow leave me quite winded, and I spent the whole day yesterday feeling rather out of sorts. I think this school thing will take some readjusting to.
On Monday night, my printer acted up. It just wouldn’t eat the paper. (I’m not sure if eat is the right word for it, but since you feed it paper, I take it that it eats paper.) It made a weird whirring noise and then the red light blinked and it shut up. This was repeated every time I tried again. What was fairly interesting, however, was that leaving it alone for a while (a while being a long, long time) before trying again seemed to help. It would print a few sheets, sometimes interrupted by the same problem, before completely giving up on life again.
Yesterday, the problem got worse, and at one point, leaving it alone didn’t seem to do anything for my ailing printer any longer. Well, it got better. Then worse. Then better. And worse. And I was then convinced that my printer was mocking me.
And then, as if not to disappoint me, The Oatmeal uploaded this comic: [via The Oatmeal] Now, I don’t quite believe that my printer was sent from hell, but it did seem like remarkably good timing.
Well, so my notes not fully printed and all, it’s going to be an awesome Wednesday. Or so I hope. I have a massive five-hour break in between (because the tutorials have yet to begin), and in that time I will probably have to do some readings, some planning, shop for textbooks, and collect a souvenir. I kind of have the feeling that won’t last five hours, so wish me luck.
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Tomorrow Never Knows
Semester 6. It gets to me every time. There’s a nervy feeling associated with the start of a new semester. Subject selection is really just the beginning. It’s getting to see new people; coming to terms with completely new material; trying out new things; adjusting to different lecturers; settling into a new rhythm with your new timetable; selling your textbooks; buying new ones; finding new spots to hide in; discovering new things about the school administration; trying out new bus routes; walking to new eating places; and all that.
A little older, a little worse for wear. It always surprises me how much happens within the space of a semester. This one won’t be any different, and I’m not sure if it’s nervousness or anticipation I’m getting. I suppose both is probably the likeliest.
I got all the subjects that I was hoping for, and without any trouble too.That was a relief. I think I’ll try to get rid of a couple of my textbooks. I don’t think I’ll be buying too many. I realise that I have the exact edition of Godot that I’m supposed to be doing, but I might get a fresh one to doodle on. I don’t know how this works. I haven’t done this in years. I think I was 14 the last I did literature academically. That’s practically a full decade. This will probably not turn out well, but I laugh in the face of danger.
However it turns out, it’s going to be a fairly heavy semester. That much should be expected, at least. I guess, as usual, the best way to go about these things is to approach it with a nose for adventure, although being adventurous is not entirely a natural thing to me.
At the very least, in the semester that went away just a month ago, I’ve found people to trust, or people to turn to, and that’s got to count for something.
Yes, onwards then, to tackle another semester, now armed with my new gigantic glasses. It’s going to be good. I hope.
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David Bowie Day | CORS Day
Starman
It’s David Bowie Day! Paint a lightning bolt across your eye! Let the children boogie!
(Happy birthday, sir!)
Subjects
Today is (hopefully) the last day of subject selections. We have this system called CORS, where you essentially make use of your bidding points and bid for the subjects that you want (and are allowed) to take. The way it generally works is that different classes of subjects (called modules) will be available in different rounds, and obviously different subjects have different numbers of vacancies. There’s an open bidding period and a closed bidding period in each round. In the open bidding period, you get information about the highest and lowest bid points and the number of bidders. In the closed bidding period that ensues, you will only get to see the number of bidders on your screen. If your subject is popular, you’re going to want to change your plan, either by stepping up your bid or by opting for something else. Defeatists will choose to give up altogether. Self-pity is optional.
CORS days are sad days to me. They create this sense of nervousness as you sit at home and periodically check your screen to see if the number of bidders has increased. All you’re really doing is praying very hard that no one else has noticed the subject that you intend to take. It is a little like hoping that no one makes a move on the girl that you like.
Of course, unpopular subjects tend to be unpopular for a reason. This figures on your brain sometimes. Maybe it’s a difficult subject. Maybe it’s got some kind of reputation. Maybe people just don’t like the title. It’s hard to tell. But you just try to convince yourself that it’s not going to be anything horrifying.
I’ve got two more subjects I’m waiting to pick. One is probably going to be more popular than the other. (Sociology is generally more popular in the free-for-all round than Literature, I think.) Wish me luck.
Space!
Hubble gets a look at the farthest galaxies. [via ScienceDaily]
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