From preference to love

A relationship, threatening to blossom out, is always awkward and uncertain.

"We can all begin freely - a slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement."

Thus observed Charlotte to Lizzie in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She then continued:

"In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show more affection than she feels."

Charlotte's advice was given in an era when women were expected to play the passive role. The only way that a lady's romantic fantasy could become reality was if the object of her affections not only felt the same way, but also decided to take a step forward. Are Charlotte's words of wisdom still applicable?

It would be untrue to say that women today must still let themselves be the object of pursuit. Hopefully, the struggle for gender equality has at least ensured that.

Coming from a Chinese background, my views may be more conservative and traditional. I still think the male should make the first move. Yet knowing that not many would step forward without encouragement can be rather frustrating.

The girl's role is then to at least hint at her partiality. Perhaps a bit of differential treatment is all it takes to nudge him in the right direction.

The Twilight "Saga"

My weekend sisterly-bonding activity was spent watching the second instalment in the Twilight Saga, "New Moon". The word 'saga' gives me the impression of some epic tale of heroic deeds. I struggle to understand how this story fits the description.

I tried my best to enjoy what I had paid for with no previous bias, but I can't help but conclude that it was an excruciatingly dull way of spending two hours. My sister shared my sentiments.

There is an abundance of Twilight-bashers out there (some more creative than others), and that usually is enough incentive for me to grow fond of something. Quite helpfully, this saga has proven that my strive to be different doesn't entirely impair my judgement and opinions.

I don't intend to offend anyone who does enjoy Ms Meyer's works of fiction. I do know people who find appeal in the story (or at least, in one of its products *cough*E.Cullen*cough*). I respect their tastes. Or perhaps I'm simply too shallow to see the double meaning hidden between the lines.

All I can say is that this is definitely not my first choice of entertainment.

"The Lost Symbol" Dan Brown

[Warning: Here be spoilers]

Uni holidays has allowed me to wear down the reading list I had accumulated. One I've just managed to tick off was Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.

I quite enjoyed the read. I was scoffed at by someone for liking trashing literature, but this was the same guy who wanted to and did read Twilight, so it's not like I will take his literary opinion to heart.

I must admit, though, that Brown does not express himself in the most elegant manner. However, it wasn't his style of writing which appealed to me, but rather, the ideas he was putting forth. I felt that they resonated with a set of beliefs that I myself held, albeit unknowingly.

Brown takes Robert Langdon on a quest to discover the teachings of the Masons. Rather than being under the mercy of a higher being, humans are the ones who possessed divine powers. The human mind hold immense capabilities, even to the extent of performing what we call miracles. If one could learn to concentrate and pit one's mind to the matter, one could achieve the physically impossible.

This is what Brown's novel proposed, and this is what I had believed for some time.

From my perspective, the abilities of the human mind far outreaches what is scientifically accepted. I do believe it is capable of physical manipulation and influencing external events. When I try to will things to work, I imagine these streams or waves of energy flowing from my head to the objects. Call me weird, but I think it helps.

In the novel, Katherine Solomon used Noetic science to support this belief. It seems like an interesting thing for me to look into.