[마이리뷰] We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe

We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe (Paperback)
조지 참 / Riverhead Books / 2018년 5월

I really enjoy reading this book. It attempts to deliver the fascinating idea around our universe through accessible explanations (and sometimes punny) with minimal usage of not-so-straightforward sciency words.

I never really caught up with the recent development in understanding the fundamental of universe. For example, I don‘t really remember learning anything about quarks in high school or even university, I might heard the term faintly from a science channel on Youtube or some articles that popped on my Facebook feed, but that‘s all. Don‘t even ask me about four major forces, Higgs boson, or string theory. But if you want to know more about them, that‘s enough reason to read this book.

My favorite chapters are about the special characteristics of gravity and the concept of space. Almost each pages are illustrated, which adds more fun to your reading experience (one of the author is the creator of the painfully relatable PHD Comics). Wait, what if I don‘t understand the jokes? Don‘t worry, you‘ll understand the jokes as you‘re reading the related topic.

Finally, as the author says, this book is not so much about answers but about questions. So far we only know 5 percent of the universe, with another 27 percent made of dark matter and 68 percent made of dark energy. If you know your stuffs (e.g. you are a medallist in astronomy or an astronomy) and prefer to go into depth of a certain theory, you might want to challenge yourself with another book. But if you need to fill your curiosity and are ready to open your mind for some mind-boggling concepts, this book is for you!

[마이리뷰] The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future

The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future (Hardcover)
Ryder Carroll / Portfolio / 2018년 10월

I‘ve tried many productivity apps: to do list apps such as Google Keep, Any.do, Trello, Wunderlist; and habit tracker apps such as Loop and Habit Tracker. Some works for me, the others not really.

At some point I realized I was greedy. I want to do many things: I want to start writing my thesis, finish a data analyst online course, master the basic of genetic engineering, read more books, learn Korean, be a God-conscious person, learn how to cook, own a property, get married, aaand the list goes on... Where should I begin?
This book teaches us to practice our mindfulness first by unplugging ourselves and let us take some time to reflect while writing down our journal. This book starts with the philosophy behind the bullet journal method. Why do I start this? What are the most important thing for me?

Before we get to finally write on our journal, this book will explain the system (rapid logging, tasks, notes, events, collections) and some essential features of bullet journal (daily log, monthly log, and future log). It‘s not only about the technique; the author narrates some of his personal and his clients‘ story on how bullet journal helps their lives.

I read this on January 1st and started my BuJo on the same day as I skimmed through the practice part. If you haven‘t found your own management style, maybe you want to try this. After all, it‘s still the second week of January!

[마이리뷰] The Adventures and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The Adventures and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Hardcover) - The Adventures And the Memoirs of
아서 코난 도일 지음, Scott McKowen 그림 / Sterling / 2004년 10월

As soon as I got my first paycheck from my first gig, I bought two books from The Book Depository. This book is one of them. I bought this book merely because the price was relatively cheap for an imported book (Rp 82k). I should say that I don‘t consider myself a fan of detective stories and I don‘t read Agatha Christie books. I do read some lighter ones such as Detective Conan and Enid Blyton‘s (Pasukan Mau Tahu and Lima Sekawan!). I‘m not a fan of crime/mystery movie/series either; I watched BBC‘s Sherlock Holmes out of my loyalty to the main actor, lol.

So last week when I just finished Orwell‘s 1984 I wanted to read a lighter book, so no nonfiction. I only had three nonfiction books on my currently-reading list so I should pick another book. I thought reading this classic will be as burdening as my experience with The Tale of Two Cities, but turned out it was very fun! I like the illustration and the short story format make this book enjoyable. There are total of twenty three stories with its own curious plot.

[마이리뷰] Call Me by Your Name

Call Me by Your Name (Paperback, 미국판) - 『콜 미 바이 유어 네임』 원서
Andre Aciman / Picador USA / 2017년 10월

"How is it that some people go through hell trying to get close to you, while you haven’t the haziest notion and don’t even give them a thought when two weeks go by and you haven’t so much as exchanged a single word between you? Did he have any idea? Should I let him know?"⁣
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"But I was in heaven. That he hadn’t forgotten our conversation about Celan gave me a shot of tonic I hadn’t experienced in many, many days. It spilled over everything I touched. Just a word, a gaze, and I was in heaven. To be happy like this maybe wasn’t so difficult after all. All I had to do was find the source of happiness in me and not rely on others to supply it the next time."⁣
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"It never occurred to me that if one word from him could make me so happy, another could just as easily crush me, that if I didn’t want to be unhappy, I should learn to beware of such small joys as well."⁣

[마이리뷰] The Headspace Guide to... Mindfulness & Meditation

The Headspace Guide to... Mindfulness & Meditation (Paperback)
Andy Puddicombe / Hodder & Stoughton / 2012년 1월

A short book about meditation, but not much about the historical perspective or the science behind its benefits.

Andy gives his takes on meditation, based on his experience as a monk. He also explains how he transforms his meditation lesson from monastery (with its long meditation hour) to be applied in modern life.

I like the insight he offers to explain mediation concept, what it is and what it is not.