Worth A Read Meh Length 479 Quick Review Rachel Chu and Nick Young are newlyweds, but not everything is honeymoon perfect when they decide to spend the summer in China.
I have mixed feelings about the Crazy Rich Asiansthe book and the movie. You can read that review here. I have a thing about always finishing every book I read. I don’t often read series, but when I do, I read the whole thing. Since is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I thought I’d read Kevin Kwan’s China Rich Girlfriend.
Rachel Chu is an economy professor in New York with her new husband, Nick Young, a history professor. They get married even after opposition from his wealthier than shit Singaporean family. Due to random circumstances, Rachel finds her biological father and spends her honeymoon in China getting to know her brother. She and Nick get swept up in Hong Kong high society and all the drama the uber wealthy find.
The issues I had with the first book are pretty much the same issues I have with China Rich Girlfriend. The plot is engaging and moves very quickly. It’s easy to keep reading. The fast moving, drama filled plot distracts from the flat and empty characters. It’s hard to have any emotional connection with the characters because they don’t seem to exist in a human realm of emotion. If it weren’t for the great acting done by the cast in the movie – especially Constance Wu – I would have no thoughts or connection to any of the characters. It’s all story and drama with no depth. It’s a great mindless read to get swept up in while by the pool watching your kids, a bird, or napping. You don’t have to pay that much attention to this book.
The lack of character development doesn’t take away from the fun narrative style Kwan brings to China Rich Girlfriend. The narrative style was equally fun and satirical in Crazy Rich Asians. There’s a lot of grandiosity and throwing around of wealth, which, honestly, sounds like a heap load of fun if I had a gold bar pooping unicorn in my backyard. Like in the first book, Kwan utilizes footnotes to bring the reader into his high-society world full of drama with fun tidbits, gossip, and more. Footnotes are also used to alert the reader to cultural things most [Western] readers probably wouldn’t pick up on. He does a good job highlighting the hypocrisy of the uber wealthy. One fun one is the women carrying Birkin bags but cutting out coupons. It seems ridiculous, but I whole-heartedly believe women like this exist in the world. (I would probably be one of them.)
Overall, China Rich Girlfriendhas a lot of redeeming points as a vacation or summer read. If you’re looking for an insightful look into the meaning of life or quintessence of humanity, this is not it. It’s a soap opera in book form. Fun but not good.
Memorable Quotes ““Bernard has no money. He only gets about ten million a year to live on,” Carol confirmed.”
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I absolutely love this red dress from Target. It’s such a cute wrap dress. I have terrible luck finding wrap dresses that won’t blow wide open at the thought of wind, but this one doesn’t! Also these shoes from Target are perfect. I love a good pointy-toed nude shoe.
Title: China Rich Girlfriend
Author: Kevin Kwan
Publisher: Anchor Books
Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 9780804172066
Read Yes Length 706 Quick Review The Targaryens came to Westeros. Aegon I united the seven kingdoms and began a three hundred year dynasty leading to the events being played out in the beloved show Game of Thrones.
I love the HBO show Game of Thrones based off George R.R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire. I’m sad to see it go tomorrow night. I’ve been holding off reading the books until the show is over. I didn’t hesitate to read this prequel, though.
I started watching Game of Thrones the show in its second season. I don’t read fantasy because I don’t like it. The exception being Harry Potter, everyone should read that; it’s culturally important. Game of Thrones is one of those series that has gripped the world. It’s incredibly well done, but I haven’t read the books. I finished George RR Martin’s first prequel (there will be two) Fire & Blood, and it was not what I thought it would be.
I don’t know what I expected out of this book, but this wasn’t it. I liked it, but it was boring. Like really boring. I love history books, I think they’re far more interesting than novels to be honest. I’m the kind of person that enjoys reading textbooks. Fire & Bloodread like an incredibly dry history book. In all honesty, it kind of is.
Fire & Bloodis the first of a two part prequel documenting the 300 year reign of House Targaryen over Westeros until their demise leading to the storyline played out for the world to watch on HBO. The Targaryens came to Westeros after the Doom of Valeria and resided on Dragonstone for awhile. Then, Aegon I decided to hop on his dragon and conquer/unite the seven kingdoms of Westeros WITH his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys, which Arya points out to Tywin Lannister in season 2 episode 7. FYI, Aegon’s sisters are his wives. This is totally normal and fine for the Targaryens, which could be more pointed out in the show. The book follows the ruling Targaryens in Westeros for a good 150 odd years. Including the Dance of Dragons.
Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin calls for dressing up in a ball gown. Obviously. I’m fancy.
After reading the prequel, things happening in the show made a LOT more sense. Names and stories from history made in passing during the show come to life within the 700 pages of Fire & Blood. The dialogue is a little rudimentary and clunky at times: “But not so high as to keep out dragons. Dragons fly.” Not so riveting. There is a lot in this book. Dorne is probably my favorite. Yay strong warrior women and female leaders.
Martin has an incredible mind. History is made up of people who actually lived, breathed, and did stuff. Creating that kind of intricacy in an imaginary world really deserves a great deal of applause. The book might be a bit dry, but the amount of information he comes up with and gives background to is truly remarkable. I love history, so it’s fun to find the historical parallels. Martin also has a great deal of respect for women. The female characters are incredibly powerful and probably more dimensenial than the male characters. That said, Martin doesn’t shy away from the difficulties facing women historically and documents the expectations, violence, cruelty, and blatant overlooking of their existence within the pages. The illustrations throughout Fire & Bloodare quite beautiful. What is interesting is the fact the men age, but the women stay young and beautiful when illustrated. (Unless they are old and mean to begin with. Old being a relative term.)
It took me awhile to read the book because a) it is a big book b) it reads fairly dryly. Over all, I really enjoyed Fire & Blood as a whole. The story and Martin’s imagination are quite fantastical. I would suggest it, but it can get a bit dry at times. I love being able to watch the show and understand the history and the references much better than I did before.
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Memorable Quotes “The game of thrones takes many a queer turn…” “And in songs, as ever, love conquers all. The truth, we submit, is a deal less simple.” “Save my wife, you should have said, but what are wives to men like you.” “…no plan made by man has ever withstood the whims of the gods above.”
Title: Fire & Blood Author: George R.R. Martin Publisher: Bantam Books (Penguin Random House) Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 9781524796280
I really had fun dressing up for this shoot in a ball gown. | Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin | Shoes |
I’ve been lazy. I haven’t been keeping up with blog posts like I intend to. So this is about three months after I visited Oak Alley, but better late than never. Also it’s super old. Things don’t change that quickly. The grass has probably been cut, and that’s about it.
Walking in the grass at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana. | DressRoots of a live oak and the big house at Oak Alley Plantation.
Oak Alley is just one of those places. It is absolutely stunning; so much so, it has become iconic. The grounds are an hour outside of New Orleans in Vacherie. Driving between NOLA and Vacherie gives you a good idea of what rural Louisiana looks like. What used to be a running plantation is now a museum with a restaurant and inn serving as a reminder of the American South’s unfortunate history.
Standing in between the rows of live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation. | Dress | Jean Jacket | Sandals
I remember driving passed Oak Alley at fourteen. My family was visiting relatives after Katrina, and we spent a day driving around the countryside outside of New Orleans. It was dusk when we drove by stopping just outside the front gate. The house was lit up from the outside at the end of a path lined by ancient live oak trees. It was magnificent, and a vision I will never forget. It wasn’t until I was in New Orleans for a bachelorette party a few years ago that I actually toured the plantation. The house is beautiful, but the grounds are the truly wonderful aspect. The plantation earned its name from the twenty-eight live oaks lining a walkway up to the front door of the house. It features a guided tour of the “Big House,” a slavery exhibit, a sugar cane exhibit, and more. There is a restaurant and inn on the grounds. The restaurant has some seriously amazing bread pudding. The gift shop also has some amazing pralines. If you’re lucky, you can have some warm and fresh.
View of the big house and the live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation.
Some of the oak trees are almost three hundred years old. The larger branches extend and drop to the ground. The roots are knotty and huge. Spanish moss grows on the trees. When the light hits them just right, it’s what bayou dreams are made of. Movies and pictures will never do it justice.
Roots and live oaks at Oak Alley Plantation.
Oak Alley was a sugar cane plantation built on the suffering of slaves. Sugar cane was known as white gold because of how much it was worth. Growing, harvesting, and refining was back breaking and dangerous. Slaves were bought and sold, so people could have their sugar. In those days, there was rich, then there was sugar cane rich. Oak Alley was the latter. The history goes back almost 200 years, but the live oak trees are even older than that. Walking the grounds is simultaneously enchanting and haunting. It’s difficult to think about how one place can be home to so much beauty and misery. All history is fraught with abuse, but it should never be overlooked. Remembering what really happened is an important part of embracing history.
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Worth a Read Yes Length 320 Quick Review A memoir about growing up under the one-child policy in China as a second child and the collision between traditional and modern values.
For many of us, it’s hard to imagine living in a world where there is a ban on how many children you can have.* It is even harder to imagine one’s existence being illegal. Karoline Kan grew up in both of those realities. She documents her coming of age story in her memoir Under Red Skies.
Chinese history is not common knowledge for most Americans. Tiananmen Square might ring a bell if you were really paying attention in history class. Thankfully, Kan starts Under Red Skiesoff with a brief historical timeline starting in 1945 with the Chinese civil war to ground the reader in the history affecting the world she grew up in. Most people are aware of the one-child policy in China. For the most part, the effect that policy has on the people probably does not come to mind. Kan’s mother wanted a second child and did everything in her power to make it happen, which is why Karoline Kan is in this world.
The women in China endured a great deal of hardship because of the one-child policy. Kan bore witness to forced sterilization. She was there when the government kidnapped her mother to force her into a tubal ligation. Surgeries were done by non-qualified doctors in outdoor tents. Many women became ill and suffered lifelong difficulties due to these procedures. Some women even died. The first year, 1983, more than 16 million women were sterilized.
Communism rocked the foundations of the Chinese culture. Under Red Skiestouches on a great deal of her experiences. Religion was banned; people were arrested, reeducated, beaten, and even killed for having religion. Hukou was a fundamental part of Kan’s growing up. It defined where people lived and where they could go. Essentially, hukou defined who they were. People very rarely amounted to any more than what their family’s had. Kan’s parents worked hard to make sure she and her older brother were not as limited by hukou.
Under Red Skiesis about more than just the one-child policy. It’s about growing up in a changing time. With the advancement of technology, life in China was changing. Traditional values clashed with modern values. Kan was born in 1989 and grew up in a time of change. She grew up to become a journalist and a writer. Sharing her story and the story of so many other people.
Kan writes a moving and brilliant memoir. Her experiences are incredibly unique as a second child during a time where that was wrong. She is also incredibly relatable but does not shy away from the gut wrenching details of her childhood. Under Red Skiesis a beautiful testament to love and dedication.
*Considering everything that is going on in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia where abortions are all but banned. Limiting the number of children a person or couple can have is the exact opposite of what is happening.
Memorable Quotes “Globally, the voices of young Chinese – especially those of young Chinese women – are often neglected.” “Scholars believe 30 to 60 million girls “disappeared” because of the One-Child Policy.” “China was far from being a free country.”
Axpona is one of those things you try to explain to your friends and they respond with “A what?” It’s a stereo convention in Schaumburg, Illinois. My dad went in 2018 and had a blast. We both love music, so he invited me along a year ahead of time for 2019.
I would love to describe this to you in a way that will do it justice, but I can’t. Dad explained it to me a year ago; I thought I had an idea. Nope. Axpona stands for Audio Expo North America and lasts three days. Audiophile paradise. It’s at a convention center-hotel combo. The ballrooms and convention rooms are full of headphones, home entertainment centers, accessories, records, and more. Seven floors of hotel rooms, every other room is home to a stereo, amp, speaker, wire, etc. company. You could truly spend all three days there and not see everything in a meaningful way. We spent two full days there and are still talking about the rooms we missed. Sunday was cut short due to April snow.
Growing up, my dad would pull out records and start playing them. “Listen.” I heard it often. Little me didn’t love listening as much as watching Dad light up listening and talking about music. As I grew up, I started down my own music journey. I love making it more than almost anything. My whole life, Dad has been introducing me to music and other people who stop by long enough to have a listen. A few years ago, he started building his own speakers and has a designated room. As a grown up, we’ll go back and forth playing music for each other. Our tastes are so eclectic, you really never know what will pop up.
I don’t know much about stereos. I know more now than I did because of Axpona. There was an overwhelming amount of audio stuff. Some things stuck out more than others. Here is my list of most memorable speakers. As I write this in my office, I’m listening to speakers I bought from the expo. I love them. Beau… Does not.
AvantGarde Acoustic – If I ever fall into a pot of gold. Hello, gorgeous. These are horn speakers. They are beautiful and amazing and expensive. They’re based out of Germany and took up the Presidential suite. The rep had some pretty awesome and varied music choices, which did nothing but help sell the speakers. The sound is open and pure in a way you don’t hear often. It’s as close to having the musicians next to you as I’ve ever heard. A side room had another more affordably expensive style of speaker, and those were just as amazing. It really is so impressive what the horns can accomplish. We ended up revisiting the room and staying awhile. If you ever have a chance to hear them, holy crap. They’re also artwork.
Vanatoo – These were a surprise. Based out of Washington, these are small speakers. I mean tiny. I have books that are bigger in size and weight. You spend two days walking around hearing big things with big price tags. Then, you walk into this room and go “huh.” They don’t require an amp or a subwoofer. There are two sizes small and slightly bigger. They’re plug and play. Perfect for apartments or offices. I loved that the rep had three short songs he played three times 1) on the small speakers 2) on the not-as-tiny speakers 3) with a subwoofer. It was great for comparison. Spoiler. These are what I’m listening to. They’re small and super impressive. They have rave reviews from people who know what they’re talking about and me. The small ones are $359 and the less small ones are $599. In stereo world: dirt cheap. I LOVE them. They are so easy to install and use. I have hooked them up to my TV and moved them around the house. They’re so good, and they can get REALLY loud. Not that I would ever do that to my neighbors…
Troy Audio – The sound quality was great! The reps had a great sense of humor. The room also came with tequila and chile mangoes. It’s a good sell. These are handmade and combine the classic 1940’s loudspeaker with modern technology to create a really unique sound. Not only is it beautiful and unique to look at, the sound is equally so.
Wilson Audio – I like to call this the keep dreaming room. Amazing. If you have a million dollars and change laying around a) feel free to send me some b) these are amazing. I don’t even want to talk about it because it makes my wallet hurt. The sound was pretty phenomenal. Impressive is an understatement.
MBL – These are unique. They weren’t the only omnidirectional speakers at the expo, but these were the most interesting to look at. You walk into the room and wonder where the speakers are because what your seeing looks like it could be a lamp, a non-functioning fountain, or a sculpture. Omnidirectional means the speaker doesn’t just project forward the way a traditional speaker does; it projects 360° to fill the entire room. I wouldn’t say they’re the best speakers in the world (they are good), but they are really cool.
MartinLogan – These are wild. My dad has talked about these before, so it was cool to see them. They’ve been around for 30 odd years and are based out of Kansas – go Midwest! They are very thin and translucent. Yes. You can see through them. They are an electrostatic loudspeaker, which means they are nothing like what I or you grew up with. They create sound through force on a membrane suspended in an electrostatic field. It sounds like science fiction, and it kind of looks like it too. The sound is truly amazing. The price ranges from ouch to if-I-had-a-real-job/didn’t-travel I could afford that.
Here’s the thing about stereo systems. You can spend a gobton of money. You can also spend $359 and get something fabulous. I’m listening to that right now. You can buy them on Amazon, here. I highly suggest. If money (and space) weren’t an issue, I would absolutely buy some AvantGarde speakers. There’s also a little bit of ridiculous to it. Spending $50,000 on a pair of headphones when my $125 headphones work is bonkers to me. To each their own, but I could buy a handful of other things and a nice pair of headphones for $50,000. It’s truly amazing what was at Axpona. This is audio equipment you absolutely cannot find at Best Buy or probably many other places. It would be far too expensive to have something like this in a showroom.
If you’re an audiophile: go. I can’t suggest it more. I already have Axpona on my calendar for the next year two years. So come say hi! I’ll be one of three ladies.
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December, 2018 at the Art Museum in Chicago.Baby Kelsey and RaeAnna in December, 2013.
There are people who make you. There are people who break you. There are a few who define you. There are even fewer you can’t imagine living without. There are maybe a handful of people who are all in for the good, the bad, the worse, the horrible, and the healing. Life is hard. Life is really hard, and mine has been a series of uphill battles. People have not been kind and because of that getting to know me is a battle in and of itself.
San Diego. January, 2014. Our first trip together.
I met Kelsey almost six years ago. She was a freshman; I was a senior. I couldn’t tell you what it was about her. Probably a fuck ton of timing. I was raw and broken and alone. I needed a person, and so did she. We became pretty inseparable almost immediately. There’s no sex in this story but a lot of time laying in bed with pets watching stupid TV shows. We both have a deep love of bed, and I’m more comfortable lying in bed with her than anyone else.
The infamous. Wox of Bine night. 2013.
In a lot of ways, I found the greatest love story of my life.
Love is tricky even when life is easy. Love takes two parties – at least, it should. Even my dog and I have our ups and downs because we’re two different personalities trying to figure things out as we go. When people love people, well, that’s even harder. People talk. Beau vocalizes. At the end of the day, I feed Beau. Unlike Beau, Kelsey has a choice to be with me. She can feed herself. Also my baggage is pretty fucking heavy. Kelsey didn’t teach me love doesn’t have to be accompanied by bruises or conditions or violence or abuse. She did put love, the real kind, into action, though. She showed me kindness, compassion, respect without ever judging me or making me feel less than. I never saw fear or hatred or pity in her eyes. There was only ever love. Sometimes, sadness. When you love someone, pain is shared, and she has shared mine.
That time Kelsey said I could do heights and I about shit my pants. Spring Break, 2014.
I have made careers and relationships out of hiding who I am and being what other people want. My life for decades was based on pretending and hiding. Unconditional love was a theory; it belonged to other people. The lucky ones. For me, love was bought and sold and revoked. It was anything but free. I spent years searching and working and grasping at something that wasn’t even love to begin with. I put up with abuse and violence because “I love you” was whispered in there somewhere. All I had was words. Love isn’t a word; it’s a verb.
Christmas, 2016. Snapchat filters.
Kelsey may be the only person in the entire world who truly loves me unconditionally. I am unfiltered and utterly me with her. I am never anything but me. Some days, I’m funny and loud and obnoxious and so embarrassing. Some days, I’m in a bad mood. Some days, I cry and cry and cry. Some days, I’m strong. Most days, I’m broken and a little bit of everything. I am quiet. I like quiet; though, most people wouldn’t know it. I talk and make jokes because people don’t ask questions when someone seems open. Kelsey is the only person who doesn’t ask if something’s wrong if I go without talking. She asks questions when I’m ready, but mostly she lets me tell her when I can. She doesn’t push. She respects who I am, no matter who that person is in the moment. Because she knows who I am and where I’ve been. More importantly, she never asks for more than I can give. She sees me and accepts me and doesn’t want anything else.
That time we randomly went to Wisconsin for lunch. 2015.
There are things in my life I’m working through. Have been working through for a lot longer than Kelsey has been in my life. Six years ago, there was a massive upheaval of the few things and people keeping me sane. The first ounce of happiness and stability in my entire life was suddenly gone, and everything else started to disappear along with it. I lost so much so quickly. I was spiralling and raw in a way that I would really like to never be again. Because of that upheaval, I was able to be open with this random 18 year old. For some unknown reason, she didn’t say “Fuck this crazy.” Instead she dug in and dealt with problems no one should ever have to deal with.
The cherry blossoms in D.C. 2018.
The good, the bad, the worse, the horrible, and the healing. Kelsey didn’t become my friend during the good. She hopped in at worse. Then, she watched me hit horrible and stay there for a long time before we got to healing. Maybe, she’ll get good one of these days. She didn’t put me back together again. She gave me a safe space to get it wrong over and over and over again. She continues to watch me put the same pieces together in different orders trying to figure out which way the belong. Hopefully someday, I’ll get it right.
She supported me as I lectured at ISU.
Love stories are often between a boy and a girl who lock eyes across a room and just know. That’s great and all. (Other than being heteronormative. Girl and girl. Boy and boy. Fluid and queer. You do you!) I think some of the most important love stories in our lives are the ones that have nothing to do with sex. Platonic love is just as powerful, if not more so, than the romantic. I have loved men in an all consuming kind of way. They have shaped me, and some have even defined who I would become. No one has ever loved me the way my best friend has. We will never say vows or file taxes together or have children or any number of other quantifiers placed on a successful relationship. Instead, we choose to love each other’s crazy every goddamn day.
Rooftop bar in Chicago. 2018
Kelsey isn’t perfect. She’s stubborn and picky and moody and a royal pain in my ass. She can be an absolute bitch sometimes. (I can say that because I’m her person. If anyone else calls her that, I will end them.) The thing is, she’s human. She is also kind and generous and smart and strong and patient and funny. She has seen hell and continues on. She is the greatest cat mom ever. Her love for Doodle makes mothers of humans question their love for their child. Kelsey is intensely everything I need in life. I can honestly tell you, there is a huge chance I would not be in this world if it weren’t for her. At the very least, without her, I would be in a very different place in my life, and it would not be better. She became my family and opened up her home to me. She is the person I talk to most. She knows just about everything there is to know about me. My world is better because she is in it.
Drinks in New Orleans. 2016.
I need Kelsey in a way I will never need another person. She is my person, and I am hers.
Today is her birthday. I think I could probably write books about our relationship and what she means to me. I love her with all of my heart, and I have so much gratitude for everything she has done for me over the past six years. I refer to our friendship as a love story because it goes beyond friendship. It’s not just coffee or vacation. It’s a relationship. It’s a partnership. It is two people who have shaped and been shaped by one another. I wish I could be with her to celebrate today, but instead I will see her in a week and a half.
Happy Birthday! Thank God the phone cameras have gotten better over the last six years.
