#kakinota : The Honest Truth - Dan Gemeinhart

10⭐/10

"All the world's a storm. We all get lost sometimes. We look for mountains in the clouds to make it all seem like it's worth it, like it means something. And sometimes we see them. And we keep going." The Honest Truth, Dan Gemeinhart.

It is about a 12-year-old boy, Mark who ran away from home - from his overprotective parents, his bestfriend and his problems.

He planned to climb a mountain - Mount Reinier, his secret dream shared only with his bestfriend, Jesse and a secret promise he made with his grandfather. He knew he could trust Jesse with his secrets, not telling anyone even though those secrets had made Jesse lived with fear - for Mark's safety and health and from being discovered lying.

What started as a simple planned journey turn out into an adventure of a lifetime where Mark learned about what life is all about - an unconditional love, trust, friendship and accepting the truth about harsh reality.

With only Beau, his dog, as his faithful companion, they faced hardships together along the journey that almost cause their lives. Mark met some people along the way who willingly help them without asking anything about him - the kindness of strangers.

When he reach his destination and start climbing the mountain despite the harsh weather, which almost killed his dog and almost freeze him to death, he realised the truth about all his thinkings - from a sick boy point of view who is afraid of dying. A boy who thought he could face his life alone.

#kakinota : Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas

8⭐/10

"There are times in life when all of us have to bear the unbearable."

When their cousin, Theo died in an accident, the title Earl of Treneor went to Devon Ravenel. One of the two last people left in the lineage. His brother, Weston is next in line.

He unwillingly inherited an old estate saddled with huge debts, 20,000 farm lands with 200 tenants farms, three beautiful cousins that never been in the society and a widow.

Lady Treneor, Kathreen felt responsible to take care of her sister-in-laws. She knew how difficult their position will be to find suitors - a title without dowry. Being  raised in a strict family and just married Theo few days earlier, she blamed herself for the accident. She had kept a secret related to the incident. Kathreen is aware the curse running in the Ravenel bloodline including Devon and Weston.

When both of them arrived from London to visit the estate with intention to sell and pay off debts, Kathreen decided to stand up against them for the sake of her sister-in-laws, the workers and tenants. An incident happened before Devon and West went back to London, had made him think twice about his decision to sell the old estate much to West dismay.

While Devon struggling to find ways to pay off debts, West went to oversee works done in the estate. The only way to finance was to rent a land for a railway route. Some sacrifices needed to be made. While  a negotiation persued, a shocking discovery was made on the land. Something was hidden in that rented land. Did Devon made a mistake? Or is there an escape clause in the deal?

At the same time relationships blossomed into something more meaningful that nobody could denied the connection between two people.

"I can't think about failure. If I do, I'll be doomed from the start."

That was the word that struck me. It is true when change happened, one feel intimidated and one first reaction is to say big NO especially when needs to move out from comfort zone. But if one takes the opportunity and try very hard, something beautiful might happen.

Even though the story focus about two people but I find that the supporting characters are far more interesting. I hope there will be a story about each of them soon.

#notakaki : The Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell

7⭐/10

"Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard to make sense of something that most people would have give up on after thirty seconds."

It is about men and women who do things that are out of ordinary.

Research shown the difference between an ameteur and a professional is their attitude.

Professionals increased their practise time steadily every year. They don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else, they work much much harder.

The book was divided into 2 categories.

Part 1 :- OPPORTUNITY

Success is the result of accumulative advantages. And that little difference leads to an opportunity that makes difference a bit bigger.

In other word, those who are successful, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success.

(Yep..... couldn't argue with the fact. For example, let say when a student gets good results, he/she will be given lots of opportunities  such as government/state/corporate grands, admission to the best school in the country and the said school is provided with the best facilities. So in my opinion for such students, failure is not an option. In fact they must strive for excellence.)

For a person to succeed, there are few factors to be considered :-

1- Where and when we grew up. (Our parents, their level of educations/qualifications, their jobs and our relatives and friends too)

2- The cultural we belong to especially for Asian with a lot of dos and don'ts and to take into considerations the religious background.

3- The legacies passed down by our forebearers.

Achievement = talent + preparation,
thus come the 10,000 hours requirement to achieve level of mastery in everything we aim to be.

Part 2 :- LEGACY

Cultural legacies are powerful forces. They have deep roots and long lives. They persist, generation after generation, virtually intact, even as the economic and social and demographic conditions that spawned them have vanished and they play such role in directing attitudes and behavior that we cannot make sense of our world without them.

As said in Part 1, the same factors do affect the probability of a person's successful (success arises out of the steady accumulations of advantages)  :-

1 - When and where you are born.

2 - What your parents did for a living.

3 - What the circumstances of your upbringing.

All make a significant difference in how well you do in the world.

Each of us has his/her own distinct personality. But overlaid on top of that are tendencies and assumptions and reflexes handed down to us by the history of the community we grew up in and those differences are an extraordinarily specific.

Our ability to succeed at what we do is powerfully bound up with where we're from.

Born at the right time with the right parents and the right ethnicity.

Disadvantaged kids simply don't have the same inherent ability to learn as children from more privileged backgrounds.

Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.

When I completed the book, I began to see the pattern here.

I fell into the 'disadvantaged kids' category. I grew up with a sister and both parents working to meet ends. When school holidays, my privileged cousins/friends went overseas for holidays or attended motivational camps to fill up their time. They attended music classes, ballet classes, self-defence classes and even as simple as English short term courses. I envied them.

What a 'disadvantaged kids' like me did? I read books (borrowed from library) and sometimes played with my other cousins and neighbours (after completed house chores) until 7pm (that was my parents cut off time). We lived in an area full of drug addicts and dealers. Hence the cut off time.

I am quiet and curious person. With so much time in hand, I loved to watch my surrounding. I learned a lot by observing and listening. I even watched how the addicts took their doses. I also knew when a begger is not an actual begger but an undercover cop.

During semester break, my privileged friends worked as intern in some companies while I worked in a supermarket. When completed my diploma, I was given an opportunity to do my degree in one of the prestigious university in the country (it's was a dream came true at that time) but I had refused the offer as my parents couldn't afford the fees and I was not able to get any grands or loans. I was devastated.

Until present, while most of my previleged friends/cousins had achieved or almost at their career peak, I'm still here. I had encounters so many series of failures until I lost count and had no tears to shed.

Have I completed my 10,000 hours?  I have no idea......

But what I learned by being 'disadvantaged kids' - when life knock you down, don't complain. Just stand up and move forward.  One day at a time...


Ciao..

#notakaki : #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso

I read the book twice - an e-book initially before I felt there were so much informations needed to re-read so bought it as my New Year To-Be-Read (TBR) book.

It was the best book I've read so far and I can see myself picking up time and again and still I could find some different perspective about it. (And no.... I did not idolize you, Sophia).

Let's just say that the book is similar to today's commercial hair shampoo - 3 in 1 or maybe 4 in 1, a book which consisted 3 or more topics that can benefit a wide variety of people out there - life experiences, working advises from an employee and an employer POV, motivational notes about everything and anything.

3 pieces of advises though :-

1. Don't ever grow up.
2. Don't become a bore.
3. Don't ever let the MAN get to you.

For me what I like most is how she taught us how to think creatively. How to take advantage and create something valueable out of it. If we don't have enough money, find cheaper or even free ways to get by. She taught us how to use modern technology to our advantages. Find ways to survive. Think creative. It's what we called - Street Smart way of thinking. Thinking for survival. Well..... unless you're born rich. That's another story.

Cool?

Topics in discussion are :-

1  -  The Chronology of a #GIRLBOSS 

        Telling us a girl who grew up and made messes in finding her true passion.

2  -   So You Want To Be A #GIRLBOSS?

        Life is Short. Don't be lazy. Work our asses off.

3  -  How I Became a #GIRLBOSS

       There are secrets opportunities hidden in every failure. Go and find them. Remember the late Steve Job advice.

4  -  Shoplifting (and Hitchhiking) Saved My Life.

       Not advisable to choose this way if possible. Hitchhiking might be a norm in US but not in some other part of the world especially women. We don't want to end up getting raped and being thrown in some forests/jungles/rivers/sea -  alive or dead. The black and white is not the only path to success. Keep an eye on gray as well.

5  -  Money Looks Better in the Bank than On Your Feet

       Money spells FREEDOM. Cash is KING. A big NO-NO is as soon as our income increases we increase our spending too. The shitest way is when we spend money went there is no or not enough at all but it's a norm today. It happened all over the world.

6  -  Hocus - Pocus : The Power of Magical Thinking

       Treat your mind like your money. Don't waste it. We control our thoughts and our thoughts control our lives. Throw out the negativity. It's a toxic for our body and soul. Create  our own modern day sigil.

7  -  I Am Anti-Fashion

       Be yourself. Find the way until we find our own place. Accept who we truly are.

8  -  On Hiring, Staying Employed And Firing.

        Tells us in the how-to from an employee and an employer POV. Advises we often get but ignored (me included.)

9  -  Taking Care of (Your) Business

        A 10 thousand hours of practice is advisable but JUST DO IT can be more rewarding. Search for knowledge in Google. Watch YouTube and adapt accordingly with the situation.

10 -  Creativity is Everything

Think creatively and adapt accordingly - as a way of life. Remember the gray path and don't ever fall into the Dark Side.

11 -  The Chances

10⭐/10

#notakaki : An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

9.5⭐/10

"Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after. It was a test of courage, of strength.

There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that's a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again.

Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be. Too much fear, and you're paralyzed. Too little fear and you're arrogant. Fear can be good. It can keep you alive. But don't let it control you. Don't let it sow doubts within you. When the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it : Your spirit. Your heart."

One secret. One night. One moment that define Laia's life forever. 

One secret. One dream. One mission that change Elias's life for something greater.

One fear binds them together. 

She is a slave. He is a Mask on a big mission that can alter both of their life  - for better or for worse.

One mistake. One guilt causes them to face the hard truth about what are at stake. Fear and guilt has created something strong into their lives. A promise was made and a journey has just began.