Thou Shalt Cross The Finish Line If Thou Hath Chooseth To Begin The Journey

I began reading "The Harmony Silk Factory" only to pass my time, never thinking that I would actually finish the book anytime soon. Not one to leave an author's work halfway interpreted, I intended to finish the book, but perhaps over a longer period of time, simply because I kept falling asleep after every few pages, regardless of time and location. My initial thoughts of the book - pretty long-winded, a little too much elaboration. But I pressed on, knowing that if I wrote a book, I would appreciate it if my readers chose to swallow the contents up till the very last word. They need not digest them, but leaving a plate of food unfinished is definitely quite a blow to the chef in me. An unfinished book is analogous to unfinished food left to rot, oxidised by the air and moisture. Unless of course, if the food is exceptionally bad or contains inedible poison. "The Harmony Silk Factory" is definitely not in that category. In fact, now that I have finished the book, I would justify the fiction by saying that the reader would need to swallow all of its contents to allow them to be digested. One needs to read the whole book in order to comprehend the essence of the entire story. And that essence is a strong one. Having experimented with multiple first person's point of view throughout a story myself (which I failed as I ended up confusing my readers, but I still take pride in the fact that I made an attempt =p), Mr. Tash Aw basically managed to manifest himself into three different persons as he wrote his story. The emotions and state of mind of the three first persons are very marked and very distinct from one another. One is of a child of a father who was a communist, one is of the child's mother before she had the child, another of a close English friend of the communist father. Three completely different characters who have greatly varied personal lives, but all of whom are telling their stories which revolve around that one man who chose communism as his belief. The whole story is very properly inter-related, despite the fact that the story moves back and forth along the timeline, which could be rather confusing but it would not take long for the reader to settle into comprehension.

Random thought #1: I am turning this post into a book review. Did I intend to? I don't suppose so.



Anyway, I personally felt most connection to the third part of the story, which is the English man's first person's point of view. The reasons are vague but I suppose I was more engaged in the story here because of the type of writing used by Tash Aw in this part. Cynicism, symbolism, abrupt transitions, all of which are highly representational of the emotional state of the "I" in the story. Again, I myself love to write in such a manner, so perhaps that is another reason why. However, Mr. Tash Aw is, undoubtedly a qualified writer in every sense and I am just an occasional amateur.

Random thought #2: I think I need to change my title. Amateur but without the occasional.

Random thought #3: I have been typing away, reflecting upon a book that I read, and yet no words come to me as I try writing my personal statement for a pre-tertiary education institution application. Could it just be human nature that when we are required to do something, it somehow becomes more difficult than when we do something out of our own free will? If so, I must not succumb to human nature then. It is really not "difficulty" but rather, "procrastination". I choose, out of my own free will, to not procrastinate anymore.

Random thought #4: Green living, enlightened living. I really need to focus and get myself working. The vastness is still there, waiting for me, but I am not moving away from the plateau. Well, no, it is not "not now". It is always now. It has to be now.
(My Mighty Father Above, please grant me the strength and motivation to move in the direction of pursuance. Amen.)

I heard this on the series "Big Ideas For A Small Planet" by the way. I paraphrase, "One of my friends said this, 'If you ever wonder what impact you, as one individual, can possibly make in this world, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.' We need to be that mosquito."

Every little effort amounts up to something.
The only question left is, when are we beginning ours?