In Bruges July 15, 2008

Just watched this. Thought it was really good. While there weren’t any jaw-dropping twists the plot keeps moving along at a fair clip, the dialogue is fantastic and Colin Farrell’s turn as Father Dougal crossed with Twelve Monkey’s Brad Pitt is classic. Not a classic, but well worth a watch.

The End of History July 15, 2008

Well, not the actual end. But I’ve almost finished my book on Chinese history, which is a great achievement, as it’s really long. We’re just about to start the 1980s. Learnt quite a bit today.
Also did some maths – God, but it’s boring – and dealt with some overdue emails. Nothing spectacular, but a [...]

July 15 July 14, 2008

Productive day, by recent standards. Finished off a translation and sent it in a day early, which is good. Need to keep up the tempo, as this particular client doesn’t tend to be in a rush and it’s therefore easy to let the agreed one-week turnarounds slip. However I’d be surprised if it isn’t noted [...]

I probably can’t go to Mars July 14, 2008

2050 before we get people on Mars. Given that I’ll be seventy-four by then, my chances of making it to the Red Planet are probably slim.

Current Reading List July 13, 2008

Ok, these are the books awaiting me, on order, or in progress.
On China, I have:
Jonathan Spence’s The Search for Modern China. This one I’m about two thirds of the way through and am enjoying it. Very readable, and although of necessity it feels skimpy at times (You tell us Russian pilots used ‘cunning ruses’ Mr [...]

Well . . . July 13, 2008

. . . it’s Sunday, it’s allowed to be lazy.
Read some Chinese history – the Hundred Flowers have had their pretty little blossoms lopped off. That’s about it for constructive activity today, I’m afraid. Maybe later . . .
But now, I have the first episode of season four of Weeds to watch. Was a huge [...]

Hayfever no more July 12, 2008

Ha! Modern pharmaceuticals work their magic once again, and so far today my eyes haven’t demanded scratching once, and sneezing fits have been kept to a socially-acceptable minimum. And that’s only on the second day of pill-popping. Another week of this and I should have super-fit sinuses. Assuming, that is, that I can remember to [...]

Mmm, Bacon July 12, 2008

8.30pm, surely late enough to review the day.
Slept for ten hours last night. Really need to get more active. Rattled through another translation this morning. Again it’ll need quite a bit of reworking – some details on international climate change mechanisms and theories of blah blah blah I’ll need to spend some time looking up. [...]

Things I read today . . . July 11, 2008

Reading about Yiyun Li earlier, I came across her experiences during the year of military training which first year Peking University students were subjected to after 1989. Interesting story.
I had to subscribe to Prospect to get to read the piece – twelve pounds for a years web-only access, which I thought was a bargain. Assuming [...]

Reading Yiyun Li July 11, 2008

My planned recreational reading this week was Yiyun Li’s short story collection, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. I’d heard her name before, but it wasn’t until reading this story in the New Yorker that I realized I should be quietly reading everything she writes.
You can’t sit down and read this all in a sitting. [...]