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October 25, 2007
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Travelling Cari
gave  to:
Blue-Eyed Salaryman: From World Traveller to Lifer at Mitsubishi (Paperback)
by
Niall Murtagh
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my rating:
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read in October, 2007, has a copy to sell/swap
Travelling Cari said:
"Bought this a few weeks ago and apparently forgot to register it. Very good read - another different look at life in Japan, almost the male version of The Accidental Office Lady.
A frog in a well knows not the ocean indeed, really made me...more
Bought this a few weeks ago and apparently forgot to register it. Very good read - another different look at life in Japan, almost the male version of The Accidental Office Lady.
A frog in a well knows not the ocean indeed, really made me think of Japan in general.
"Foreign students are visitors. Visitors should not stay too long in faraway places or they will forget to go back." Really sums up the ex-pat life well and makes me wonder about the future of some Nova fossils.
"Your hobby is something outside of work that you do at least once a year. If you do nothing but watch TV and sleep, your hobby is what you did, at least once, when you were a student." Then why on earth is sleeping a favorite hobby? If I had one yen for every time I heard that I'd be independently wealthy.
This was a very interesting read, I can't imagine life as a salaryman to begin with -- although he made the point that 'real' salarymen don't have blue eyes - and certainly can't imagine working for a Japanese company for fourteen years.
Timely read with the demise of Nova.
Possible ring.(less)
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October 15, 2007
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Travelling Cari
is currently reading:
More Sex Is Safer Sex: The Unconventional Wisdom of Economics (Hardcover)
by
Steven E. Landsburg
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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Travelling Cari
added:
The Unsavvy Traveler: Women's Comic Tales of Catastrophe (Paperback)
by
Lucie Ocena
bookshelves:
travel
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my rating:
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read in October, 2007
Travelling Cari said:
"Definitely an easy and light read, it took two train days. Less actually, it didn't take all of today's rides. Some contributors were familiar from other anthologies, others were new to me but I can say I enjoyed most of the stories. Ayun Holliday wa...more
Definitely an easy and light read, it took two train days. Less actually, it didn't take all of today's rides. Some contributors were familiar from other anthologies, others were new to me but I can say I enjoyed most of the stories. Ayun Holliday was even palatable in this small dose, although I'm pretty sure this tale was also in No Touch Monkey.
Some favourite bits:
"A traveler's misguided expectations-especially a woman traveler, I think-are less about ignorance, and more about hope..."
I think this really hits the nail on the head - it's not that we don't know what's out there but rather that we have an idea, based on reality or fantasy, of what should await us.
"Inside anyone who's ever experienced wanderlust is a travel muse, and like certain other errant deities known for agitating strong desires, muses tend to work their powers on us at the most inopportune moments."
1000% agreed. I think that's part of the fun of it, however. You never know when you're going to want to go/be elsewhere. I do hope that I'll never have to spend the night at McDonalds, although I don't think that's much worse than Prague Airport.
"One could conceivably get lost in Shinjuku for days. I was lucky; I only got lost for one day, but with a heavy pack and a booty-kicking case of jet lag; it seemed more like a week."
Oh god yes. It really brought to mind my wanderings around NishiNakajima-minamigata station trying desperately to find my new apartment when I went back to Osaka. She also speaks well of the nature of the Japanese and their desire to help lost gaijin. I remember many times, not even lost but just paused on Shinsaibashi deciding which way to go, people stopping to see if we needed help. I love Japan, always will.
A wonderful read.(less)
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October 10, 2007
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Travelling Cari
is currently reading:
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything (Hardcover)
by
Don Tapscott
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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Travelling Cari
gave to:
How Low Can You Go? Round Europe for 1p Return (+ Tax)
by
Tom Chesshyre
bookshelves:
travel
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my rating:
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read in October, 2007
Travelling Cari said:
"Well it wasn't exactly that I had clear cut expectations for this book, but it surprised me anyway. As an overall idea, the author - a travel writer for the Times in London - travelled to some relatively unknown destinations in Europe for the simple ...more
Well it wasn't exactly that I had clear cut expectations for this book, but it surprised me anyway. As an overall idea, the author - a travel writer for the Times in London - travelled to some relatively unknown destinations in Europe for the simple reason that they were there - and the LCLs travelled there. To quote the author himself, "...with no plan of action other than making this the first trip of many, to see for myself all these places I hadn't been to, couldn't pronounce, and would never have heard of, if low-cost airlines didn't fly to them." I agree, sometimes you don't need any better reason.
In many ways, he established much more - the beginning of his trip was Szczecin, Poland - which was once known as Stettin. "...From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent..." spoken by someone a bit more well-known. In a way, that encompassed his trip (which ended south of Trieste in Rijeka) - - the changes in Eastern Europe since the fall of communish which has been very much a theme of my own this summer.
Some country specific notes:
Poland:
I understood his sense of surprise at the large malls - I was floored by the one adjacent to Cracow's bus and train stations - and how he seemed to be the only purchaser. I don't think I was that unique - plus I bought little - but it's definitely surprising to see western brands in a country where it takes two hours to travel ~30 miles due to road conditions.
Ljubljana,Slovenia:
"...a little Prague without the crowds (or the hype)..."
it's descriptions like this - the author is quoting LP- that irritate me - you've created the hype! Sometimes I wish I could time travel, this doesn't apply only to tourism - the more a book or movie is hyped, the less I tend to enjoy it.
Loved his interview with Stelios of easyJet fame and the discussion on the role of LCLs in the peace process. While I don't think easyJet, Wizz Air, etc. are likely to prevent a war, they certainly lead to a greater understanding and breaking down of barriers.
Overall a very good book - more substantive than I'd imagined or expected.
(less)
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October 03, 2007
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Travelling Cari
gave  to:
No Place Like Home: A Novel (Paperback)
by
Mary Higgins Clark
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
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read in October, 2007
Travelling Cari said:
"Typical MHC book. Fluff. This one wasn't really that surprising. She gave all the hints of who you were supposed to think it was but left enough that you could be fairly sure of who it really was. I found the ending to be rushed and the epilogue to b...more
Typical MHC book. Fluff. This one wasn't really that surprising. She gave all the hints of who you were supposed to think it was but left enough that you could be fairly sure of who it really was. I found the ending to be rushed and the epilogue to be rather odd - much like JK Rowling's HP7 finale. Rather meh. Filled the gap between books quite well.(less)
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October 01, 2007
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Travelling Cari
gave to:
Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office (Paperback)
by
Jen Lancaster
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my rating:
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read in July, 2006
Travelling Cari said:
"This book was a lot better than I initially thought it would be. I had reservations because I'm one of those oddballs who doesn't like the Shopaholic series and thought Becky was an annoying twit. However I did enjoy Save Karyn (which the author also...more
This book was a lot better than I initially thought it would be. I had reservations because I'm one of those oddballs who doesn't like the Shopaholic series and thought Becky was an annoying twit. However I did enjoy Save Karyn (which the author also mentioned at one point) and so decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did. I think there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from the author's experience, and her tongue in cheek sense of humour and way of putting her experiences forth makes it not sound like your grandmother giving you the 'back when I was your age' lesson.
Some favourite bits:
-I loved when Fletch is explaining about why she's eligible for and should take advantage of unemployment benefits how she asks "Are you about to start singing about how a bill becomes a law?". Squee. She's a bit older than I am but gotta love the Schoolhouse Rock tie-ins. Unfortunately I now have the Simpsons version of it in my head. On a more serious note, it reminded me of how many people didn't always take advantage of the opportunities provided to them--there's a big difference between being a dole bludger and taking advantage of a system developed for such situations. I think that in the unlikely event I do find myself in her situation I will heed her advice and not take a Prada bag. Lucky for me, it would have to be Kate Spade ;) The Kate Spade is authentic, from what I can tell. They're made in Korea and sold cheaply there. The Burberry is a China Town original :D
-I liked her theory and decision process on starting the website. Publishing has changed so much in the last five years and it seems that a lot of book deals are coming from blogs and vice versa in that you can almost now count on a favourite author having a blog. I also think the nature of blogs can lead to a book, whether it be something like this, any of the Written Road authors, or even Belle du Jour. Different topics, different situations but all maintain contact via a web presence. Now only if I hadn't been so lazy with my own :)
- Totally get the 'if onlys' wherein you realise what you could have had 'if only' you hadn't spent $X on Y. Hello, beanie babies? A lot of other stuff I buy second hand but I also have a fair bit of body products and hardcover books that are really taking up space. At least Half.com has proved useful for DVDs and the like. She mentions listing some of her bags and clothes on eBay but due to the nature of her book not being a blow by blow account--which kept it interesting--we don't know whether she was successful. I really need to read back through her website, she's quite the engaging writer.
Definitely one of those books that surprised me by being a lot better than I expected. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, may make a ring. We'll see.(less)
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