One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest + More Than You Can Say

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey was absolutely BRILLIANT!!! One of the reasons I love this widely acclaimed novel is dear Chief Bromden, our native American narrator who acts deaf and dumb in the psychiatric ward presided by the abominable Nurse Ratched (exactly what her name suggests). Because of Bromden's regular hallucinations and his shaky mental state, his narration is unreliable and it leaves alot of room for imagination. Honestly at many points in the book I started wondering if Nurse Ratched were really as manipulative as the patients thought her to be, or was she just doing her job. Enter McMurphy, a jolly but hot-headed gambler. Disgusted by the patients' submission to Nurse Ratched, he arranged a coup through a series of flagrant disobedience (taking the boys out fishing, drinking, all with the participation of prostitutes). 

The central theme of oppression (Ratched) and ineffectual bureaucracy (the Doctor and the fat man whose name eludes me) is unmistakable. I've done abit of reading up on Ken Kesey's personal life before starting this book to have a better understanding of the circumstances in which the novel was written. Kesey's experience as a personnel in a psychiatric ward and the then-new Goffman's deinstitutionalisation approach towards psychiatry and psychology helped conceived this book. Kesey also became a hippie afterwards and that's cool too. 

For all these reasons, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is an amazing read and has become one of my favourite books!!! The plot was hopeful, happy, funny and poignant and the characters really grow on to you.  

*Cues Mad World by Tears for Fears*

I love this fishing scene where everyone was laughing!! This was the happiest moment in the book and I had so much feelz for this!!

More Than You Can Say by Paul Torday was a pretty underwhelming read. The whole underdog white male soldier saving an exotic and submissive Afghanistan girl (which French descent, no less), then  falls in love (SURPRISE!) with her bewitching beauty was super tiresome in the first half, so I was glad with how the story turned out. Throughout, I was thinking of the song Heroes by My Favourite Singer. 

I hated how the description at the back of this paperback suggested this book was about how the protangonist walked from Oxford to London (or something), but upon the first few chapters, the story immediately goes off tangent. 

I'm reading A Midsummer's Equation by Keigo Higashino now!!!! Very excited for this one too!!!!!! 

- Rant -

Hehehe my Friend Fries. They're so kawaii desu BUT THEY BE IN MY STOMACH NOW!!!! I bought them, upsized and complete with a meal, because I was rather annoyed with my lukewarm friend with his persistent personal feelings of inadequacy in the case of I WANT 2 GET GAL, BUT I SUX. It lingers in his mind be it in the state of sobriety or inebriation. Inadequacies, insecurities, and that human cocktail mix of anxious emotions are cool because everyone has them. It's also cool to release them as you imbibe and binge in the presence of supportive friends (I think that's ME). 

I have always known that he harbors these destructive inadequacies and at times, I dish out relationship advice (as if like I'm experienced and all, lol), along the lines of the usual "love yourself before you love others", confidence etc blah blah whatever logical stuff people say. I really want him to get over it because if these thoughts marinate and simmer too long in the head, they will take root and that's not healthy.

Inebriated, tongue tied and lovelorn, he began flooding the room with his damn tears asking for advice and I advised him with all the relationship wisdom I have accrued over my post-pubescent years. I no relationship but I have wisdom??? There was where the circularity of the argument began: "I WANT 2 GET GAL, BUT I SUX", "CONFIDENCE WERKZ", "CONFIDENCE 4 WHAT I SUX". It lasted for HOURS and even into his hangover of morning. I was so happy to be out and about in the park despite sleep deprivation and not having BATHED but even in his state of sobriety he was moping about and sighing and whining and tsk-ing so when he asked what to do, I replied very curtly and louder than necessary I'M NOT GONNA HELP YOU IF YOU DON'T HELP YOURSELF and silence ensued among the 4 of us and I felt bad for like a minute. I was pissed off because if you don't even HEED our advice or have the tenuous NOTION that YOU WANT TO CHANGE then may I ask what is the point of asking for it???? For the past 12 hours in a time I was supposed to have fun?

And really, as I tried to advise, with anecdotes of personal experience, during the dead of the night when I could have slept, it's not right to brush them off with a vague "BUT YOU ARE NX LEH, NXXXxxxx" while the other guailan, no where near drunk, choruses in "YA NX LEHHHHhhhhHHhh". There is no point in resisting lingering preconceived impressions. I literally quit and started using my phone to which they lamented "Don't kill off the mood". I tried sleeping but I can't, because dude starts throwing his phone and spectacles like a giant baby.

I need a break from this group of people. I like them, they're my better friends in a bunch of people I am not well acquainted with and I will still render help especially to mister Unrequited Love, but I think I deserve better and I will seek to form new friendships. I'm so glad that my close friends are positive people, people whose locus of control lie within. BYEEEeeeEEeeEEe