The Amateur Writer

It took me about a month to go around into actually picking Divergent up to read. I am very disappointed with myself  at this but I must say, it could not have been a better timing. I almost lost my reading drive, seriously.  I managed to get a lot of books over the holidays but so far I haven't been loving what I read. Divergent was a quite recent purchase about a month ago so obviously it's on the end of my reading list. Thank God that I bumped it up on my schedule and it got me out of this dry spell! :D

On to the review!


Gosh. Where do I even start? I could gush about Divergent on and on but I'll put on my English major hat and analyse this beauty in one (hopefully short) blog post!

One of the reasons why I love Divergent is because of Roth's ability to create such profound sentences. I have a few of my favourites and I will list them down later. To be honest I did not get hooked by the first page but by the end of Chapter 1, I find myself continuing to read. That is always a good sign. Given my experience of encountering such bad (a very strong word) novels, it's hard to find an un-put-down-able book. Especially from a Young Adult genre.

This could be an exaggeration by me but Divergent is dystopia at its best. Roth manages to bring forth issues or thoughts that have been on my mind for quite awhile. It even support my theory that I've been developing about the world. You might think, "Aren't you being a bit dramatic? Drawing such conclusions from a children's book?" But really, it is such a good piece of work if it could draw me some conclusions. Honestly only God knows how much answers I need right now.



"You chose us," he says. "Now we have to choose you." (pg. 73)


I got goosebumps when I read this sentence. This particular line really shed light on the workings of democracy. The West has been giving other countries sh*t for not upholding democracy in their countries; making it seem that democracy is the RIGHT or humane way of governing. No one really focuses on the negative effects of democracy. If democracy is so right, why are people still unhappy? I have been thinking a lot of politics lately given the elections are coming up soon in Malaysia. So it's no surprise why this line struck home.

Roth raises a point in the consequences of democracy. We choose a leader, choose a system that we want to be in and when we do get what we want--it is the government's turn to decide whether we ARE eligible to be in that system. If we are given a right to choose, why are we still being tested? If democracy gives the people power, why are they still being oppressed? I guess it takes a dystopic society to illustrate the major consequence in choosing our governments today.


"It is a beautiful thought." (pg. 207)


Ideals. Idealisms. It is interesting how everything starts out as ideals. Ideas/beliefs become the basis of government or way of life. And yet none of us are able to carry it out perfectly. And soon enough, it becomes a thought. An idea that fails to manifest into a product becomes a thought. I guess it is in our nature, we are not perfect beings. Our flaws balance out the good in us which makes this reality. Now does that mean all that is good are just thoughts? Obviously our main character may think like that but her actions show hope. No matter how bleak the situation is, I guess Roth shows that humans are hopeful beings. We still try. Although when I read Divergent, every bit of hope in me may have been sucked out dry.

Divergent makes me philosophical. Haha!

Brash summary of my ramblings: Everything starts out good and then people f*ck up. We have problems but we still try to fix it.



"Peace is restrained; this is free." (pg. 250)

I have this theory that the world will never achieve total peace. (I remember that this thought popped in my head when I was cutting onions while making dinner. Intense thinking done in the kitchen I must say.)  A sad worldview I know. This particular line in Divergent sort of sums up this theory perfectly. I always think that once the world solves a major problem, the solution will open up to a whole new set of problems. So in a way, it is a never ending cycle. And even if total peace is achieved, sooner or later someone will create problems because that is the true nature of our existence. We are curious and hopeful beings. We destroy, create and move on.



Main Character

When I first met Tris, I had a bit of an expectation that she would be like Katniss from The Hunger Games. Not that I want her to be like Katniss but seeing that the format is somewhat the same, I imagined that she would be a bit like her. Basically I was starting to stereotype the heroines for this particular genre but it's good that Roth did not exactly work with the same mould and break off the chain. Tris is a strong character but I appreciate how Tris seems vulnerable at the same time. She has her doubts and she thinks about her surroundings. And I love how she can be such a girl sometimes!

I really find the concept of grouping the masses into groups of personality  very interesting because it emphasizes the fact that humans are complex beings. No matter how many similarities we share, we are just different. Intentional or not, Roth manages to accentuate this point very well. Basically we are all Divergents.


The Romance


I'm a sucker for forbidden romance. Even though Four and Tris's relationship is not exactly forbidden, the whole teacher-student dynamic got me excited. Too...excited.

Now if Four is just a tad bit older...than Tris. Then it would be reaaaaaally forbidden. :P

I mean seriously, how HOT is Four?





Ahem.



My only complaint for Roth is really superficial. I just hate her choice of names for the main characters. No offence to anyone named Beatrice but really, can't you just give her a much cooler name? Also Four's real name killed the fangirl in me...just a bit.

But then again, Beatrice and Four's real name (I'm kind. No spoilers here!) are total Abnegation names. So that must be her reasoning.




The Verdict: 5 out of 5

Wondermilk is definitely one of the unique cafes you can find in KL. My overall judgement on the food and coffee is that it is delicious but nothing special. I guess it's more famous for its beautiful decor and chill ambiance and coupled that with our fascination with cute vintage things...you will get a successful cafe! An extremely well thought out concept but you might find yourself going there just for the hype.

After the wedding, the foursome find themselves at Wondermilk in Damansara. I'll let the pictures do the talking but it's been a long time since I had a laugh with these girls. Too long I'm afraid.






















It's moments like this that makes me miss Malaysia. AWESOME FOURSOME REUNITE! :D

How I got the job:

It was quite sudden to be honest. I was sitting across my dad, three days after we got back from Egypt and I was complaining about what to do with my time when he told me about this job. Actually he got a text from his friend who was looking for an English teacher. That friend turns out to be my boss and we had my first job interview the next day. It was sudden to the point that I didnt have time to be nervous.

Because I even had time to look for proper interview shoes an hour before the interview! I settled with a rubber bright baby blue Bata flats that clashed so horribly with my outfit! My mum actually asked whether I was serious and from the look of her face, she was worried that I'm not going to get the job...because of my shoes.

The nervousness finally hit when I was waiting for my dad's friend to arrive. I also realized that I should have followed what my mum said about the shoes...I looked so...kiddy in them. (=3=) This is my first OFFICIAL job interview after all...

Thank goodness that the interview turned out to be at a Mamak restaurant! Haha!

(I later found out that other candidates had their interview at my boss's office while I had mine at some mamak. Phew!)









What I learnt:

Teaching is hard. My first day on the job went so bad...I felt like ripping my hair off! I felt like throwing the grammar books and burn all of them. I wanted to apologize to the students for my incompetence. Basically I overestimated myself and the students. To make matters worse, I actually wanted to tell my boss to just fire me. But I didnt. Because that would be stupid. And so I went home with a fake smile and a heavy heart.

I persevere.

Day 2 and onwards went surprisingly well. I learned to adapt to different classroom situations and various questions. I also learned to use the theories I've learned throughout my studies which was helpful. But what I learned most was to appreciate what I have. These students taught me to be happy. You would think that they are unhappy given to their situation but every time I asked them how they are or simply ask them to write a short essay about their life, they never cease to convince me how happy they are with their life.

And now I'm sick of people who kept on complaining that they don't have enough stuff or money (or that they're BORED!) because that's just ungratefulness on their part. :(

The best part of becoming a teacher is when you get to see their faces change when they actually understand something. BEST FEELING EVER.









I would like to take this opportunity to thank Pn Nora who gave me this opportunity. Not only you gave me my first job but you gave me a chance to rediscover my original passion...English. Thank you!


Besides, beating other candidates who have a Masters degree is a HUGE ego boost. ;P