Book Review - October

I realized that I had not been posting a book review for some time! This did not mean that I wasn't reading anything but rather I had been too lazy to actually start writing about it! :p Never too late for reparations, so here's the book I've been reading:

The book intrigued me at the library and my friend was mildly alarmed that I could consider this reference material for my job, but when I started, I found that it was a more fascinating book than I realized.

Nutshell: The book is a chronicle of the experiences of a US interrogator (or 'gator as they are known) Matthew Alexander, as he uses various techniques to extract useful intelligence out of suspected terrorists in Iraq. 

Why this book is fascinating

Firstly, the style of the book and the manner in which Alexander approaches his subjects are vastly different from that described in another book about the Iraqi War that I read, which was this:

Of course, you would notice that both men worked in different fields, one in intelligence and the other as a Navy SEAL sniper. The difference that struck me the most though was in the attitude both men had towards their subjects. In Kyle's autobiography, I felt a dehumanizing attitude towards the Iraqis. They were referred to as 'insurgents', not as people. Also, he had a callous way of describing how he shot down his targets, as if he was describing a Counterstrike session.

In his defence, I also think this is a result of his training. He was, after all, a Navy SEAL and trained for combat. 

Alexander's attitude is different because of the nature of his work. He was not trained to kill but rather to extract information and he was trained in newer post-Guatanamo techniques. Hence, he talks of building rapport with the prisoners, by talking about their family, sometimes pretending he faced the same family issues as them so that to foster understanding. He also pleads to the prisoners to cooperate so that he can help them or their families. 

This is the fascinating bit for me. He employs subtler psychological techniques in his field and altogether has a more sympathetic view towards his subjects, since he has to build a relationship between them before he can do his job. As a result of this, I find that he has a more balanced view towards the war. He does not view his subjects simply as moving targets but more like people with fears and worries for their own lives and those of their families and friends. 

While the book is not exactly a manual of interrogation techniques, Alexander does drop some bits about what he uses and his narrative style reads almost like a novel, so it's very easy to read. 

Goodreads
You might not know or suspect, but I have read more books than those reviewed on this blog. Those books are tracked in my Goodreads account:

Click to see Goodreads

This is a great site for booklovers. Right now, I'm using it to track the books I'm reading and I also use it to create a To-Read list of books that look interesting. However, there are many other features to the site, such as forum groups and review-writing so any book lover should check it out! (And of course, it's free!)

Interested? Here's the link to the site.

Reflections on August

One word: BUSY

Even now when I think back about August, all I can think about is busy, busy, busy. It was definitely one of those peak periods where I was just frantically trying to finish everything before the Sept break. Even on days when I didn't bring work home, I was too knackered to do anything except watch TV. 

As I type this, it is now the last day of the Sept holiday and next week, I'm back at work for another round of Busy. *shudder*

At one point, I did pause to think, though, why do I fall off the wagon so badly all the time after June? The reason that comes foremost to mind is of course, work. As times get busier, work gets brought back home, time at home becomes work time and then other things like cooking and general self-care goes out the window. 

I also felt I forgot some of the habits of self-care I took in the first half of the year. Eg, by making time for myself to do the things I love. So this is one habit I want to reinstate: To write down my weekly plans for the things I love to do on my calendar so as to commit to it. In this way, I want to be able to plan my time better without letting work overtake me. I also have to make sure that at work, I religiously keep a to-do list with the deadlines clearly written so that I don't forget what I'm supposed to do. 

Another habit I want to reinstate is that of journalling: To journal one sentence a day and express gratitude for even the smallest thing. These are simple yet powerful tools to balance one's state of mind and I want to continue this. One way is to bring the journal out one days I go out. 

Most importantly, I need to practise self-love. To be able to forgive myself for the things I didn't do so well and to compare me, to me, instead of others. I keep looking at how far others are ahead of me, instead of looking back at how far I've come. This is like wishing you had a Birkin but forgetting you already had a Chanel. While of course I should push myself to go as far as I can, my progress shouldn't be measured by others who follow different trajectories from me. I am responsible for my own path and that is the one I should follow. 

That being said, even if I didn't do as much as I wanted, I still managed to read a great deal, so I'm glad of that. Thankfully, reading is one of the habits firmly entrenched in me. 

This holiday has also given me some space to pursue some craft, so I'm glad for that. (tutorials coming up soon) 

I have a few more months before December and a couple more before March next year, when I get really busy, so wish me luck and here goes!

Out of the pages I read....

I'm a magazine buyer and hoarder. I love to browse the magazine racks to look for interesting articles and I don't mind spending money on some of the more expensive overseas publications. I do feel the money for the articles is worth spending on because of the quality of the writing. Many of them are also smart enough to manage their content so that what is published on paper is different from what is published online. 

And anyway, isn't it nicer to read on paper than on a screen? ;) 

But at the same time, I do wish that I could get more learning out of the magazines I read. I find sometimes that after reading, the magazine goes into a bag to be thrown away or given away. How would I know that I am retaining the information that I read or even applying them in real life?

So I thought of a plan, namely the

The 3-Stage Magazine Cycle (#outofthepagesiread for a nicer title)

Stage 1: Buy and read

The easiest stage of all, requiring the least effort, haha. 

Stage 2: Read and Do

The hardest stage, because this requires an action to derive something tangible. For the arty magazines like Daphne's Diary, Flow or Mollie Makes, this can be in the form of an art project. For magazines with stories like Frankie, this can be a piece of fiction. For non-fiction like Psychology Today, more essay-style articles. 

(Sounds easy, but the thought of the work involved sends me into shivers actually)

Stage 3: Sell

Just to extract that one last value, attempt to sell the magazine on Carousell and put some funds towards, er, the next magazine. :p Anyone who wants to support me in this step is welcome.......

Mind you, I prefer to do this for the more expensive foreign publications. I think local stuff like 8 Days is cheap enough for me to just read it la.

And another thing,

Why Do I Even Bother?

Firstly, I think it's a great way to get inspiration for art or writing projects. Some magazines like Daphne's Diary and Frankie have beautifully done pages and articles and there have been a number of times I have been inspired by what I read. But I don't always act on them and in the end, no product at the end. So it's a good way to exercise creative muscle.

Secondly, some of these magazines have great information that can't be found locally. Psychology Today has well-researched articles from universities and scientific institutions and it's all very up-to-date. This is information I want to share and remember and writing about it is one way to do so.

Thirdly, I'm hoping this would cut down on mindless magazine buying. Yes, the amount of money I spend on these publications is crazy, sometimes. Sometimes, I even find myself buying them simply because it's a habit to do so. I did this for Oh Comely, till one day, I realized the articles were inciting lesser interest in me and I decided to stop buying it altogether, unless a feature was particularly interesting. 

What's my chance of success?

Right now, I think the difficulty level is very high! Doing craft and writing takes time to do properly, and I'm not sure I can do enough activity at Stage 2 before I buy the next issue! Not only that, but from my short stint selling on Carousell, I also know that Stage 3 also takes up a fair amount of time! Would the money earned back be even worth the effort of trying?

Yet, 

The first reward only comes with the first step.

If I don't even make the first step to try because I was convinced it would utterly fail, I would not get anything at all. At least by starting on it, I can learn something out of it even if I fail miserably. At the very least, maybe it would make me think twice about indiscriminately buying more magazines.

And I already have the first reward, which is a blog article about the plan! Who knows if someone else would stumble onto it and get a great idea to do it? That'll be nice, to think that I passed a good idea along. :) 

So wish me luck! I'm going to start with the first article soon so I can get things done before the next issue comes out!