EPT
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1. Read at least one book per week
"The Bonfire of the Vanities"
-- by Tom Wolfe
"Trinity Blood (1)"
-- by Sunao Yoshida
"What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets"
-- by Michael Sandel
"The Bonfire of the Vanities" is a turbulent, graphic, thrilling novel set in 1980's Manhattan, featuring a high-flying bond trader protagonist with all the expected sins and vices whose glamorous life is turned inside out. In one word, Tom Wolfe's depiction of the characters' habits, emotions, and personas is "real.
I actually had no idea that Trinity Blood was a light novel that had been later animated (I actually expected the book to have been written in the early 90's rather than in 2001). The book was well written (at least in the original Japanese), and the author made the post-apocalyptic, futuristic, yet medieval setting work quite well. The protagonist is curiously similar to that of Trigun though, and the plot development was easily predictable (then again, I do suspect that many of these sorts of novels intentially foreshadow future developments in order to evoke some positive feelings in the reader). A decent joy read nonetheless.
"What Money Can't Buy" is a well written, persuasive book by the esteemed Professor Michael J. Sandel of Harvard University. The book's thesis is that there is a limit to applying a market approach to solve social issues. By presenting a variety of anecdotes and examples (instead of forcing a position down their throats) and urging the reader to think about the issues for herself, Professor Sandel has penned a very effective book suggesting that (1) certain markets can be 'unfair', and (2) that market approaches can 'corrupt' and change the nature of the good/service in question. I personally think that the 'corruption' factor is important in considering how we imagine our society's future.
2. Write at least one (meaningful) blog post per week
I wrote one proper blog post ("Life in a Bubble") this week. I really need to get away from writing in this abstract style...
3. Sleep before midnight
6 out of 7 days. Failed on 2/8. Lesson: Don't ingest caffeine in the afternoon.
