Dear (most) English teachers and (some) writers:...

The situation occurred to me during high school. I have always been a dedicated reader whose taste hardly discriminates. Yet, I don't usually have a good time with school-required reading. For some alien reasons, most high school teachers LOVE forcing us to read and analyze crappy phony, boring novels. They don't care if you read hundred thousand good books in your private time, they want you to read the crappy books for their class!

The book in the described situation is 'Wave Rider' by (I think) Graeme Lay. Although it is hardly one of the worst books I have over read (both in private time and in class), it somehow sticks with me as one of the few books that I didn't finish. The teacher describes the book as 'a complex, impossible-to-put-down YA with a strong moral message for readers'. The paper that I halfheartedly wrote for that book passed with an excellent grade... So much for the complexness!

I don't know how they picked the books. If they want something 'classic', there are million amazing classic titles out there. If they want something 'complex' so the students can rick their brains trying to analyze, there are zillion of classic complex titles out there too! It's almost like the teachers just want students to hate their class!

May be the teachers just hate books, so they are giving the students reading-trauma.


(Fortunately, I get to read awesome Sci-fi books for the 'Science fiction' class that I am taking at my college, apparently some teachers know how to pick the right book after all!)

[Apple] Z moment...

I read a (Japanese) book that I have bought for some time lately. I won't read it again in a while. I may not ever read it again.

May be I would, when I am in my masochist mood.

Still, this is definitely one of the times that I wish I can place [apple+z] and turn undo my action. There are things I can live without ever seeing (or reading about).

Bush, Putin, board game, and the fourth reich

Ever read an Obama-related comic? That's quite nothing compare to what Japanese writers do with the politicians... From Hillary Clinton porn comic (with Obama featuring in it) to this GODLY AWESOME comic 'The Legend of Koizumi'. It's about Japanese most popular prime minister. He fights with North Korean leader, Pope, Putin and other leaders in the game of life and death before teaming up to fight the ultimate evil: NAZI! If this isn't BADASS at its finest, I don't know what it is...




(Apparently, Hitler won the space race...)

By the way, they fight POLITICALLY in the game of mahjong. YES! The world's politic (including the selection of a new Pope) has always been decided by a Chinese board game, and our good leaders are all secretly fighting to death (no, seriously!) with this God-chosen game. You don't even need to know the rule of the game to understand the badass-ness of it.

...Also, as a person who has always thought of Putin as being 'hot', this comic artist has done a nice job of drawing him. He draws Westerner and makes them look like Westerners without exaggerating their features (with the exception of Bush Jr who is treated like a joke here though. Not that it is anything new.)

I highly recommend it. If you like your read to be ridiculously awesome, I can guarantee you a hell of good time.


[A repost of my comic review from another blog with some minor edit]
[Credit: With the exception of my own comic, the other images are from Mangafox.com]