Entry 64: A Reprieve

From time to time, everyone feels trapped by the humdrum duties of daily life. All of us fantasize about escaping from our boring routines. For a nineteenth-century woman of limited means trying to satisfy the needs of her family (like the character in "A Pair of Silk Stockings"), even a brief reprieve from the demands of domestic life could be a life changing bid for freedom and a temporary escape from day-to-day duties. Think about your own life. When you feel that it has become too boring, what escapes do you seek, both in reality and in your own fantasy world?

• My life is generally very plain, and you can say that it's boring in a way. I don't have much to do - it is mostly just academics that I concentrate on. I have my own interests, such as dancing and playing basketball, but sometimes, I have too much academic work and pressure that I have to give it up. However, I always find time to read novels. They can be on paper, on the internet, in Chinese, or in English. But reading novels is the thing I do when I feel bored, tired, or when I want to escape reality. Thus, I am very picky when it comes to the type and style of story I read. Another way that I escape boredom and stress is to watch TV dramas. Usually I don't actively seek TV dramas, but my mother is a huge fan. And just to let you know, I do my homework in the living room where the TV is, and my mother always watches the dramas when I am writing homework (because the playing times for the dramas happen to contrast with when I write my homework). So generally, these are the two things that I do when I seek escape from reality.