DAILY PHOTO: Blossoms After the Harvest
Reply
PROMPT: Changed
Daily writing prompt
What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.
Also: Quiet by Susan Cain; Water Margin by Shī Nài’ān; and Self-Reliance and Other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Dirt Road [Haiku]
the dust wedge
of an unseen vehicle
runs down the dirt road.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOK: “The Essentials of Obstacle Race Training” by David Magida & Melissa Rodriguez
The Essentials of Obstacle Race Training by David MagidaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher site – Human Kinetics
This book is written as a soup-to-nuts guide to running a successful obstacle course race from nutrition to gear to what to expect by way of obstacles, as well as how to build workouts that will adequately prepare one. It’s a task which the book performs admirably. While the core of the book is the exercises and regimens into which one fits said exercises, there are some other elements that are useful, such as description of the class of obstacles one is likely to see along with discussion of variations thereof, the different categories of race, explanation of what to keep in mind at various stages leading up to the race, and a chapter on how to prepare the mind as well as the body, and more.
The book has photos and tables to supplement the descriptions.
I found this book to be useful and sufficiently specialized to the objective at hand. For example, it gave considerable attention to the question of grip strength, a topic that wouldn’t merit mention in many sport preparation guides. If you’re interested in running an obstacle course race and want to know what to be prepared for, and how to prepare for it, I’d recommend this book.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOK: 齐天大圣 by Yinuo Wang
齐天大圣 Monkey King: A Bilingual Chinese Storybook (Pinyin & English) with HSK Vocabulary by Yinuo WangMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Amazon Page
This book collects episodes from the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West, and condenses each into a page or two. Specifically, these are episodes from early in the story of Journey to the West, before the protagonist (a.k.a. Sun Wu Kong / the Monkey King / the Great Sage Equal to Heaven) actually departs on his journey to the west with a monk to get Buddhist scriptures. It is Sun Wu Kong’s origin story in a highly condensed form.
The illustrations of the book are aesthetically pleasing and are colorful and non-threatening (i.e. suitable for young readers.) Also, the book has quizzes and vocabulary building exercises at the back.
My biggest criticism of the book would be that it bites off more than it can chew. With single pages for major events and no room for transitions, the plates are a bit incongruous and don’t feel like a story as much as like viewing someone’s scrapbook. A lesser criticism would be that with a loose translation style (which is fine,) it sometimes translates the same characters in two different ways. (As it does with the title card which it translates quite literally as “The Great Sage Equal to Heaven” and the opening page where it translates the same four-character phrase quite loosely as “The Great Monkey King.”) This would not be an issue if the book were not a book for learning to read.
As I said, this is more like Sun Wu Kong’s scrapbook than his life story, but it is a nice way to practice beginner level reading. I’d recommend it for those beginning to read Chinese, particularly if one already knows the Journey to the West story.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Hat Noparat Thara
PROMPT: Change the Ending
Daily writing prompt
If you could change the ending of any book, which one would it be?
Titus Andronicus. A bit over-the-top with the familial cannibalism and all. Just sayin’.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Agent of Entropy [Senryū]
stone stacks line the trail:
a thousand hikers suppress
the urge to kick.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Silent City [Haiku]
from mid-bridge,
above the sprawling river:
the city, silent.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Courtyard at Beomeosa
Image
Tiger Riding for Beginners 