Completed the book 'Eight Detectives' by Alex Pavesi

It is essentially a book filled with 7 short mysteries with 'clues' or references made to one overarching mystery at the end. Certainly some twists here and there, a little gory with matured themes too.

What drew me to the book initially was how a mathematician could break down how a murder mystery is being constructed, using mathematical terms.

Each of his mystery showed the permutation that he came up with, using a venn diagram. According to him, a murder mystery has 4 important elements -suspects, killers, detectives, victims. you need at like 2 suspects. the permutations also consisted of the suspects being the killers, detectives being the killers, the suspect being the killer being the detectives and also the victims. Its quite confusing sometimes... also depicts my relationship with maths haha. 

I think it was an okay read, not the most nerve racking or a page turner.. but it definitely brought me back to reading.

that's all folks.

= do something right =

The Residence

Completed Netflix series - The Residence today.

It was stunning and enjoyable (okay other than the expletives). But I really enjoyed every moment of it. It was masterfully taken and I like how Cordelia references the different birds, and also birding to doing detective work. 

Humor was also on point, very tongue-in-cheek, and sometimes, literal. 

While Murder is motive + opportunity.

 Detective work is focus + patience.

Really intrigue by how just waiting in between responses has the ability to allow one to fess up. Whether they crack under pressure or conscience, but waiting... it does give that element of uncertainty that for every character interviewed, they volunteer the information without her asking much. Of course she asked the right follow-up questions. I found myself slipping into the same mistake that Senator Fiklins did, when The Third Man - Patrick Doumbe replied during the hearing that he saw a man dragging the dead body from the Yellow Oval Room across the hallway. We immediately ask how did the man look like etc. But those were the wrong questions. We are usually so concerned about who did it that we overlook the why, the motive. The question that Cordelia wanted to know was why did he do it. 

Of course this is fiction, but I really like Cordelia Cupp. She is unassuming, she never jumps to a conclusion, unfazed by authority, stands her ground, yet she is still compassionate and cares for people. She is humane, and not just a murder-solving robot. Though fictitious, it also gives us a glimpse into the lives of the people who work in the White House. The staff, there are people who has poured their souls into serving the house (not just the President), but its really about the house, family and it being united. Though I would never want to be the Chief Usher. The amount of pressure, stress and verbal abuse he received - its also a driving factor of the show as it gave everyone a motive for his death. Not to mention how some has said it outright - 'I will kill you!'. 

Many complex relationships that you need to watch every episode in sequence to get the full picture. Really tastefully and masterfully done - if I were to nitpick, perhaps there can replace the expletives with some other words to show frustration and disdain. Then again, it could be their culture in the States. There was a tinge of female power there since the detective is female and there is also Senator Bix, who wanted to uncover the truth during the hearing. 

Recommended. They also drop some Agatha Christie references here and there  :)

Knives out, The Residence they will make my cut on the mystery list. Glass Onion.... not so much.

If you do not mind the expletives, you can give The Residence a shot.

= do something right =

All i wanted was just someone to talk to. To just sit and listen

And tell me, that it'll be okay.

That at least, I'm doing fine. 

That I'm trying and that is good enough.

...

Okay glad that i said it out.

 

It a new dawn

Its a new day

Its a new life

For me

And I'm feeling good  moot

The year started with crazy. Crazy busy, Crazy tough, Crazy tiring. Last week was this sense of restlessness, I thought busy would make me better. Apparently it did not. It did make time pass faster everyday, but I still have this sense of dread, looking for an escape. a breather, a break. 

Drop everything now.

Looking at the other careers on the portal, unfortunately, with my skillset... I really have no idea what I can do. Many jobs now require specialised skills or a certain degree.     

Sigh. let's see how it goes

= do something right =

Kites

Got reminded of the kite that I saw back in March. 

We're all like kites. Beautiful in our own ways. Yet we dislike being tied down. Our control being limited by this 'string'.

So we struggle against it. Using the wind as our help, we try to break free from this string that's pulling us back. 

Imagine, one day, we succeeded.

The kite has broken free from the clutches of its string. It's free to fly wherever it wants to go! Yipeee! That's true freedom!

Or is it not?

Unfortunately, we'll come to realise that we're at the mercy of the wind. Wherever it blows, we go. It'll bring us to places that we never wanted to go.

Like that kite, stuck in the tree. Helpless.

Kites are not meant to be in trees. They are meant to be flown, high in the sky.

Perhaps the string wasn't that bad. That push and pull, and the person controlling it knows what He is doing. When is a good time for the kite to fly, when is the time for rest. Keeping it safely for the next round. 

We're all like kites. Different shape and sizes but beautiful our own ways. Yet we need the master kite flyer to showcase what we're made of, and keep us safe.

= do something right =

The trouble with usefulness

It hit me. 

All my life, I've been trying to figure out my purpose in life. 

Maybe I was brought to this earth to bring joy to my parents.

When I search for a job, I want to be a 有用的人。Contributing to society. Finding a place, a reason for my existence. 

Finding value in my organization, to be wanted. Or needed rather. 

It hit when I chanced upon this post on Ig. On how to be useful for Christ. How we define usefulness and not how God defines usefulness. For me,  I define usefulness as utilising my strengths and talents. Why? Cause it makes me feel good! It makes me feel that I have value. The post says that usefulness is self-centered. Which can be true - when it's all about YOU. When God calls us to the mundane or do something that doesn't fall into our strength category, we struggle, we wrestle, we even feel sad. Why isn't God utilising my strengths? Unknowingly, we fall into wanting to dictate how God is going to use us.

The post also mentioned this -the only way to be useful to God is to let God dictate what He wants us to do (or not to do). It even says this: Jesus dying on the cross is never useful. But it was God's plan and He obeyed it to death

It also cites the 12 disciples are not useful people, yet Jesus still chose them. Hence the question - do you want to be useful in your eyes or faithful in His

Was quite a sobering truth and also it might be the antidote to the entire not doing enough in school or might become a disappointment thing. After all, the measure of success in the world is staggering intimidating and it always makes me feel even good enough or useful. 

But the post presented to me a new perspective (i mean, its something that I've kind of known, but to see it in words, it hits hard), the measure of men will never be the same in God's eyes. What may seem little to men, as long as it follows what God wants you to do, that is enough (not good enough in a sense, but what matters most).

= do something right = 

Quite a nostalgic day today. Seeing some familiar faces.

But I know that I don't really do well with big groups of people. Sometimes I feel that I am standing in the middle of a narrow bridge. But unsure which side to walk to. 

Dear God, still thank you for placing me in LOL. To meet the people I have met, to feel the feelings I felt. 世上虽然没有地方容纳我, 但we are not made for this earth. We don't belong here. We are made for eternity with you. Yet at different timings, you will still place people in my life to walk this journey with me. When I need a hand, I will always find one and there will always be safe spaces for me. Thank you for keep me out of harm's way and building a genuine spirit in me. I'm growing to be comfortable in my skin because you made me. I can also relate to people who feel left out and they might not be as blessed as me to know you. I pray that as LOL grows, may we not grow only in numbers, but grow bigger in heart. We might welcome a new era, I pray for more empathy, our generation will set their sights and hearts on you. As we mold the next generation, Lord please lead us. 

looking forward to what God is doing and will do.

= do something right =