Week of March 14

Still haven't reach the half-way point of Tropic of Capricorn, though I have finished the rest of the readings and more.

I think I will no longer post links of my online investment readings since I usually find other readings that are related and read all those as well. I think last week I did at least 40 pages of reading that was not designated. So I'll just let things go the way it wants to. My darling just commented that I'm like a sponge. As long as I'm not required to wear square pants.

Next week, my goal is to finish the rest of Tropic of Capricorn.

Reading: Week of Mar 07

1. Asset Allocation
2. Rating the Rule of Thumb
3. Budgets that Work
4. Your Personal CPI
5. Ripe for a Comeback
6. ROE
7. Perils of the Commodity Type Business
8. Valuing Cyclical Stock
9. Tropic of Capricon 40~200
10. In Search of a Sure Thing
11. Coping with a Dwindling Dollar
12. The Buck Stops Here
13. Don't Settle for Average
14. Dot com Mogul
15. Can you Smell the Phish
16. Moving Average
    

Status: Week Feb 28

Finished all my readings for last week bar one that was about different ways companies can report their earnings to smooth it out.

So with that I've finished my 6th book Ignorance. Am starting on Tropic of Capricon since I couldn't find Tropic of Cancer. I've liked the 40+ pages I've read so far. It's the sequal to Henry Miller's autobiographical piece, Tropic of Cancer. Somewhat disturbing but also interesting. Will try and at least get through half the book by the end of next week.

I picked up One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Again. Because I forgot what it was about. Once again, I'm bored by the 50th page.

Book Review: Ignorance

Finished Ignorance by Milan Kundera (#6). The book was about two Czech emigrants who returned to their home country when the Communism dissolved.

Their rootlessness and lack of attachment mirrors the drifting sentiments that I’ve felt — that I no longer belong anywhere. It struck me that I'm an emigrant as well, half-breeds in this world, unaccepted by either of the sides. We enjoy a strange of liberalisation and feel above the crowd, unique, free; yet we contradict ourselves craving to be rooted down, to feel the reassuring solidity of earth instead of walking on ephemereal air.

"The air is so soft and fragile, you can walk barefoot on broken glass"
Ignorance, Milan Kundera

Reading: Week of Feb 28

Here are my reading goals for the following week. I’m trying to get this finance book from the library. Since I’ve already paid for all the spanky facilities on campus, might as well make good use of them. To think that I’ve been ignoring them for so long. Now I wish I had started my little projects a little earlier. Then again, I probably wouldn’t do it if not for the imminent departure.

*Those that have not been read are bolded

1. Growing a Fund Portfolio
2. Add Balance with Bonds
3. Debt or Investment
4. Love and Money
5. 6 Warning Signs a Company May Be Headed for Trouble
6. Turning Bad News Into a Lucrative Opportunity for Your Portfolio
7. Revenue Recognition: Five Methods Management Can Use to Smooth Earnings
8. Ignorance by Milan Kundera
   

Grabbed a grand total of 5 books from the library today. Luckily I had darling to lug them home for me *grinz*:
1. Tropic of Capricon (Henry Miller)
2. Dune
3. Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller)
4. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
5. Invisible man

Book List

#01 The Two Swords (Ra Salvatore, 12 Jan)
#02 The Godfather (Mario Puzo, 31 Jan)
#03 Fairy Tales by The Brother’s Grimm (The Brother’s Grimm, 28 Jan)
#04 Therese Raquin (Emile Zola, 4 Feb)
#05 The Chosen (ChaimPotok, 18 Feb)
#06 Ignorance (Milan Kundera, 28 Feb)

Book Review: The Chosen

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

The story is about the friendship of two Jewish boys and their relationship with their fathers. I found the details about Judaism, the Hasidic sects and how Palestine was renamed to Israel scholastically interesting, filed away to the little network of random facts at the back of my head. It's fascinating how the brain collects these nibblets of data even though it doesn't know whether it might be useful at all in its lifespan.

The part that really moved me though was really the strong bond of relationships. The story was engaging and thoughtful. Quite embarassingly, I was crying at the end of the book. Somehow, I always get very absorbed into the world of the book, so much so that their personal pains and fears feel real to me. Anyway, if any of you are looking for a book to pick up, I'd highly recommend this one. It's easy reading and pretty short too.

[Originally posted in yanmonster.blogspot.com]