Challenge 69: Fifteen Minutes

7. It has been said [by Andy Warhol] that “in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.” Describe your fifteen minutes. (New York University)

My heart will be pounding. My cheeks would be burning. There would be a permanent smile playing at my lips. My eyes will be watering because of all the emotions flowing inside of me: joy and happiness, and a little shock at the current situation. My hands would be shaking from excitement. I wouldn't be able to keep my legs from fidgeting. My head would be held high because I am proud and confident and satisfied. What would I be famous for? Saving the whole world? No, nothing so huge. I would be famous for something I have done that had made a positive difference in someone else's life. I would be called for a talk show or a radio station of some kind to share what I have done with the whole world. I would deliver a positive message to everybody who is watching. I would tell people how much this little action has helped somebody else’s life. I would teach people that they can also do little things, make a small change in their lives in order to help others. I would tell these people to spread the message. I would tell my listeners to be better people, better humans. Everyone would be thoroughly impressed and inspired by me. They will take immediate actions. They will confidently talk about how they themselves are capable of brining such a change into this world. They will say that she did it, so why can’t we? And, even after the fifteen minutes of fame are over, people will still follow my words and do what I asked of them. They will continue to change things in their lives for the better. My words will have a lasting impression on all these people, long after I have been removed from the spotlight. 

Challenge 68: Sherlock Holmes

17. If you could spend a year with any real or fictional person in the past, present, or future, whom would you choose? Why? (Kalamazoo College/93)

Even as a kid, I loved mystery and ghost stories, especially the ones that ended with "although everything went back to normal, they still heard those bangles cling together from time to time." Oh, the tug I felt in my gut during those times. I used to curl up in the arms of my father as he told us the stories with a voice so deep and soft that it seemed to bring every aspect of the story to life. Those were wonderful moments! Other than listening to these stories, I loved reading them. I would read aloud the descriptions of the tall figure lurking behind the curtain or the black cat that seldom moved. I would read aloud dialogues and try to imagine what the rough, deep voice must have sounded. Mystery novels were attractive too; I would patiently wait in anticipation till the end to find out the explanations of all that didn't make sense. I would try and guess what the story was. I started watching T.V. series too about a homicide cop and how she discovers the story behind each murder. Then, recently, when I got hold of a mystery novel that I heard so much about from a friend, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I didn't hesitate once before diving into the stories. There were absolutely great! The shrewdness and the intelligence with which Holmes unearthed all the cases were absolutely breathtaking. The way he could recite the story of the person standing before him by just observing his clothes or whatever was mind blowing! Reading the book made me want to be part of the stories. I wanted to be alongside of Sherlock Holmes as he discovered clue after clue and finally connected the whole story. I wanted to travel to places alongside this extraordinary thinker to unearth the details.  I wanted to be part of his adventures,  kind of like how Dr. Watson was. I wanted to go inside his head and see how he thought things through and how he managed to connect the pieces and break the case. Therefore, if I could spend a year, a week, a day, or even a few minutes with any fictional character, it would definitely  be Sherlock Holmes.

Challenge 67: A Novel

48. Name one book you have read in the past year, describe your reason for considering this book significant and what you gained from reading it. (Lewis and Clark College)

I thought I wouldn't read it when I checked it out from the library for the holidays, but just two or three weeks later, I found myself deeply engrossed in the adventurous world of these two girls. I finished the novel in just three days. The name? Well, you may know of it: Shanghai Girls. The book is about, well, two sisters from "modern" Shanghai in the first half of the nineteenth century (around 1940s). After a surprising turn of events, the girls are forced to retire from their exquisite and wealthy lives in the Paris of Asia and flee to the West where they are married off to strangers and have to adjust to the poverty and discrimination they face in their new home: Chinatown. The significance of this novel is fabricated within the main theme, and that is the deep bond between the sisters. It fascinates me to read about how they went through the worst that life has to offer, and yet, they survived, only because they had each other to rely on. There are many situations that are so extreme and so difficult that it almost led me to believe that the ties between the two were finally going to break. However, I was proved wrong when, again, with their determination and confidence, they overcome the situation and move forward. By reading this book, I gathered a better idea about what life was like during the times of war for an immigrant. I learned about the limits people reached just in order to keep on living a life. I learned about what discrimination was like to Chinese immigrants and how this severely effected their lives, whether it be not getting an education in a standard English-speaking school because of their nationality or whether it be being sued by American officers for reading a communism-based newspaper. Also, the strong relationship that the two sisters shared made me think about the relationship with my own sister. At home, we constantly get into little arguments that leaves the both of us frustrated and irritated at each other. But, at the end of the day, we sit side by side, yanking out each other's hair and teasing each other, while still making the best of what this sisterly relationship has to offer.