I Love Beijing
Just before I left work on Friday there was this sudden downpour the type that turns the sky black with rain and clouds with thunder and lighting and the works and then it was over just like that so I went downstairs to my electric bicycle with a damp seat even though it was parked under an awning and got on and started on my way home it was something like seven pm or close to that I'm the type who can forget whether I've just used shampoo or conditioner so expecting me to remember exactly what time I did something just shouldn't well be expected in any event I got to a section of the road that was flooded to the curb with dark rain water and I'm going through it with three-wheel carts to the left and right of me bikes electric bikes and motorcycles around me as well and I started to laugh laugh laugh and was thinking my goodness I do so love this city. I do so love Beijing.
That has to be the longest sentence I've ever read...nicely done!!! Happy father's day!!!
Posted by Aram Sohigian on June 16, 2008 at 09:53 AM HKT #
Thanks!
I was kinda thinking of Joyce in Ullyses when I wrote it, but, of course, I don't even come close to the 4,391 words he used. Also, although I pictured the sentence in my mind for a couple of days, it took me but a couple minutes to write.
btw, here's a good link to this type of writing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_of_consciousness_writing
Posted by Robs on June 16, 2008 at 10:03 AM HKT #
I was very impressed with it...I can imagine you must have had fun figuring that out and planning how to write it up! LOVE IT! Are you serious that Joyce wrote one sentence that lasted 4,391 words? Wild. I remember reading that Kerouac actually wrote all of "On the Road" without any punctuation or paragraphs at all...it was on one single roll of butcher paper and is still at the University of Texas.
Posted by Aram Sohigian on June 16, 2008 at 12:23 PM HKT #
Really a big challenge to read this long sentence and to understand it clearly:)
Posted by Alfred on June 17, 2008 at 02:01 PM HKT #
Now if you could have done it without using the same conjunction more than once... :)
Posted by havingmycake on June 18, 2008 at 12:42 AM HKT #
@Aram and Alfred... okay, you asked for it:
Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Ulysses
http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/ulysses/penelope.html
@havingmycake... ha! That's what I get for having a writer look at my blog. :)
Here's an idea... maybe I should just drop them altogether. :)
Posted by Robs on June 18, 2008 at 06:14 AM HKT #
If you remember, Steve Martin, on one of his records, has a bit about all the book he has written (under the nom de plume of "GURN BLANSTON") and his favorite (after listing about 20 titles) is "The Apple Pie Hubbub" to which he adds, "Yep, that is when I start using verbs."
Posted by Aram Sohigian on June 18, 2008 at 09:09 AM HKT #
haha... nice one! I love Beijing too! I'll be back in the summer.
Posted by Eastwood on June 20, 2008 at 10:28 AM HKT #
Do you have any 'must-see' places? :) I will be there next weekend!
Posted by Anna on August 11, 2008 at 01:51 PM HKT #
Mee TOO~~~ I LOVE BEIJING
All about beijing at www.lovebeijing.net
Posted by Love Beijing Net on February 07, 2009 at 03:02 PM HKT #